Reception

The principle focus for Mathematics in early years foundation stage involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measure. At Waddesdon Village Primary School we follow the White Rose mastery curriculum, which takes into account the end of year Early Learning Goal and progresses pupils in small steps through the concepts of mathematics to ensure secure fluency and reasoning skills. 

Learning opportunities may occur through play, but also through guided teacher group work. Teachers use a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations in order to support pupils conceptual understanding as well as procedual understanding. All learning must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child and follow the four guiding principles which should shape early years settings:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
• Children develop and learn in different ways (see “the characteristics of effective teaching and learning” at paragraph 1.9) and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Years 1 and 2

In key stage 1, pupils will continue to be taught through a mastery approach to mathematics using the Primary Mastery Spines and the White Rose mastery curriculum which progresses pupils in small steps through the concepts of mathematics to ensure secure fluency and reasoning skills. The principal focus of mathematics teaching in key stage 1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This should involve working with numerals, words and the 4 operations. Teachers use a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations in order to support pupils conceptual understanding as well as procedual understanding.

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Teaching should also involve using a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money.

By the end of year 2, pupils should have mastered their key number facts, their 2, 5 and 10 times tables and be precise in using and understanding place value. 

Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at key stage 1.

Years 3 and 4

Throughout lower key stage 2, pupils will continue to be taught through a mastery approach to mathematics using the Primary Mastery Spines and the White Rose mastery curriculum which progresses pupils in small steps through the concepts of mathematics to ensure secure fluency and reasoning skills.

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in lower key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the 4 operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. This should ensure that pupils develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers.

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. Teaching should also ensure that pupils draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. It should ensure that they can use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number. Teachers use a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations in order to support pupils conceptual understanding as well as procedual understanding.

Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word-reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

By the end of year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work. This year all year 4 pupils will be taking part in a national multiplication check test. 

Years 5 and 6

Throughout upper key stage 2, pupils will continue to be taught through a mastery approach to mathematics using the Primary Mastery Spines and the White Rose mastery curriculum which progresses pupils in small steps through the concepts of mathematics to ensure secure fluency and reasoning skills.

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in upper key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. This should develop the connections that pupils make between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio.

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation. With this foundation in arithmetic, pupils are introduced to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems. Their knowledge of number is consolidated and extended in geometry and measures and pupils also learn the vocabulary needed to describe and classify shapes with increasingly complex properties. Teachers use a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations in order to support pupils conceptual understanding as well as procedual understanding

By the end of year 6, pupils should be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

For more information please contact the subject leader, Mrs Leslie, alternatively please look at your child's class page.

Times Table Rock Stars and Numbots 

Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS) Year 3-6  

TTRS is an on-line platform that helps pupils learn and use their times tables efficiently. Pupils are expected to practice their times tables set by their teacher at least 3 times a week. Pupils can also continue to practice in other rooms and win coins for correct answers which they can then use to purchase new clothes and instruments for their avatar or challenge their friends in their class. 

In school, pupils will continue to be taught and practice their times tables.  Each week, pupils will be tested on their times tables and move progressively through the levels from 1-26. Pupils should be aware of their times table level and will record this in their home learning books. Please find the TTRS test levels below.

Numbots Year 1-6

Numbots is an on-line platform that encourages pupils to practice their number bonds and key number facts at least 3 times a week. Pupils design their own robot avatar and progressively move through the levels. As this  is a progressive resource, it starts off with number bonds to 10 but rapidly gets harder as you move through the levels where pupils need to apply their knowledge of number facts to larger numbers.