MATHS AT ST RICHARD'S

OUR INTENT

Mathematics is an essential skill which provides a way to make sense of the world. At St Richard’s we are committed to ensuring that children recognise its importance and develop the ability and confidence to use their knowledge in the wide range of contexts, both within school and in the wider world. 

We recognise that our parents may themselves have had different mathematical journeys, resulting in greater or lesser levels of confidence.  At St Richard’s we aim to bridge this gap and develop deep mathematical understanding in all our children as well as nurturing enthusiasm and enjoyment of the subject itself. We follow a mastery approach, based on the White Rose program, which encourages a ‘growth’ mathematical mind-set.  A child with a fixed mind-set will believe that their basic abilities and talents are pre-wired and fixed. In contrast, a child with a growth mindset believes that if you work hard and are committed, you can achieve.  Through the mastery approach to maths, the strong belief at St Richard’s is that with skilful teaching and careful nurturing of a growth mindset, all children can achieve and enjoy.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MATHS CURRICULUM 

Factual fluency

Achieving automaticity in key instant recall facts (e.g. subitising, number bonds and times tables) is crucial in providing children with a firm foundation upon which to build understanding and reasoning both in primary and on through secondary school.  Classes from Reception to Y4 spend 10 minutes a day practising these essential facts which continue to be practised on a weekly basis once they are more secure in Years 5 and 6.  At St Richards, we are part of the Mastering Number Project, supporting children to develop strong number sense from Reception through to Y2.  This focus on recognising additive facts continues through into Y3 in our daily Mastering Number sessions.  In years 3 and 4 the focus is on achieving instant recall multiplicative facts.  Knowing these times tables facts is fundamental at KS2, where children begin to work with fractions, ratio and percentages.

Sequenced steps leading to depth of understanding.

Our planning for mathematics follows the structure of the White Rose Maths curriculum. Small progressive steps build fluency and understanding of mathematical concepts. Each unit is studied in depth using plenty of discussion of problems, carefully modelled mathematical language, concrete resources and a variety of different approaches in order to achieve mathematical fluency with full understanding rather than relying on superficial rules and procedures. The detailed Ready to Progress document (see link below) allows teachers to track the progression of skills and knowledge, giving them a clear understanding of children’s previous learning and what they will be moving onto.  This also allows them to back-track if gaps in knowledge should become apparent. The school is also a long-standing member of the DfE funded Maths Hub programme, sharing good practice between schools and ensuring that all staff at all levels understand the pedagogy of the mastery approach.

Achieving a deeper level of mathematical understanding gives learners self-belief and confidence, including the confidence to make mistakes and find alternative ways of solving problems. At St Richard’s, we aim to send our pupils on to Key Stage 3 armed with factual fluency, understanding and self-confidence, enabling them to flourish in the next stage of their mathematical journey.

Mathematics in the Early Years

The first few years of a child’s life are especially important for the development of mathematics. The objective, therefore, for those working in Early Years, is to ensure that all children develop firm mathematical foundations in a way that is engaging, and appropriate for their age.  At St Richard’s our EYFS teachers build their lessons around the BBC’s Numberblocks characters, supported by the materials produced by the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics), which are designed to draw out and build on the maths embedded in the stories contained in each episode.

During short, carefully planned input sessions, precise use of mathematical language and key sentences provide models for children to follow and build their own ideas around.  Children are encouraged to talk about what they have noticed and explore mathematical concepts in the form of relevant activities which bring the numbers and ideas to life in the wider Early Years environment.

From Reception through to Year 2, children also follow the Mastering Number Programme, which focusses on the ability to ‘see’ number (subitise) and develop a sense of how numbers work together.  Familiar structures provides continuity between learning in the Early Years through into KS1.

Assessment

Children’s progress is assessed through observation during lessons and discussion as well as using written evidence.  Assessment is used to inform future teaching and enable teachers to spot gaps that need to be filled before moving on. Flashback sessions at the start of lessons keep recent learning fresh in children’s minds and further inform teachers’ understanding of where children are with their learning. Work may be self-marked in lessons to enable the children themselves spot misconceptions and correct their own mistakes. The aim is for all children to be able to keep up without the need for catch up.  Where extra help is needed to achieve this, intervention sessions are held using precisely targeted ready-to-progress materials.

WHITE ROSE BY YEAR GROUP

Please see below for a copy of the yearly overviews and curriculum expectations for each year group from 1 - 6. 

KEY INSTANT RECALL FACTS 

Below is a set of instant recall facts that we would like the children to be secure in. These are organised by year groups and into half terms. These facts also form part of our home-learning.