Maths
Our Maths Curriculum
At West Monkton, daily Mathematics lessons are taught across the school. We aim to provide children with the essential Mathematics skills that they will need in everyday life, to develop their ability to recall number facts and to build their confidence and resilience. Children develop a deep understanding of concepts through opportunities to reason about their thinking in lessons. They also learn to solve problems and links are made to real-life scenarios, allowing children to apply their mathematical skills. Our curriculum provides a focussed progression in the skills and knowledge that children learn from Reception, throughout the school and children are supported and challenged appropriately, based on their individual starting points.
White Rose Maths Schemes of Learning
Mathematics is delivered through the use of the White Rose Maths Scheme of work and supplemented by the Curriculum Prioritisation from the NCETM (National Centre of Excellence for the Teaching of Mathematics) and NRich to support, stretch and challenge all children within the classroom. We use the small steps provided as the building blocks for our children’s mathematical understanding. Our teachers consistently embed the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach to allow our children to access each of these stages within the small steps of learning.
We understand the importance of mathematical fluency and dedicate regular time to allow children to practice their number bond and times table skills so that this knowledge may transfer from their working memory into their long-term memory. This provides children with more space in their working memory to reason mathematically and solve the increasingly rich and challenging problems that are a consistent part of our curriculum.
The White Rose Schemes was created by a team of highly experienced, leading Maths researchers and practitioners and the scheme is constantly being updated in line with National Curriculum expectations and guidance. There is a detailed curriculum for each year group. We ensure progression and coverage by following the small steps progression documents and revisiting previously taught concepts as necessary for individuals, groups or whole classes.
Mastery Approach to teaching Mathematics
Following the methods adopted in schools in cities such as Shanghai and Singapore, who are well-known for their high standards in teaching and learning of mathematics, the Department for Education (DfE), National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and OFSTED encouraged schools to teach ‘maths mastery’ in order to raise standards in the UK. The aims of the Mastery Curriculum are for pupils to develop fluency, the ability to reason mathematically, to solve problems and apply this to other real-life situations. In order to do this, children need to acquire a long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of maths.
The schemes of work by White Rose Maths closely follow the CPA approach and supports the teaching and learning of the maths mastery curriculum at West Monkton. Like White Rose Maths, we too believe in developing a culture of deep understanding, competence and confidence in maths and that this can be achieved by all. White Rose’s states: “Everyone Can Do Maths: Everyone Can!”.
5 Big Ideas in Teaching for Mastery
Ashley Downs Multiplication Challenge (KS2)
We aim for the children to be fluent in their recall of multiplication and division facts by the end of Year 4. Times tables are taught in Lower KS2 once the children have grasped an understanding of the concepts of multiplying and dividing sets of objects and numbers in KS1. This is achieved through structured daily Multiplication Challenge sessions.
Multiplication facts are taught in a specific order, building on previous learning. Children are taught to chant the facts following a specific sound pattern that helps to reduce their cognitive load and means that they learn to recognise and recall all of the associated facts.
For example for the fact 6 x 7 = 42, children will learn to recognise the commutative fact 7 x 6 = 42 and the inverse 42 ÷ 7 = 6 and 42 ÷ 6 = 7.
Children will continue to develop their fluency for multiplication and division facts throughout Upper KS2.
Maths Resources to support at home:
White Rose 1 minute Maths app
This app is free to download on any device and links directly to our curriculum. In EYFS, children learn to subitise (recognising amounts without counting) which they can practise through using this app. There are also games to support progression in calculation for all four operations for children across the school.
https://whiterosemaths.com/1-minute-maths
Numbots
Children in all year groups (EYFS - Year 2) can practise number and calculation skills through engaging games using the website or free app. This app is used in school and is also available for them to use at home.
https://play.numbots.com/#/intro
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Times Table Rock Stars
Progression in learning Times Table facts is mapped out and taught through our daily Multiplication challenge sessions. However, children are also encouraged to practise the Times Tables that they have been learning using the Times Table Rock Stars website/app. We also hold lots of fun, competitive events in school and with schools in the local area, such as ‘Battle of the Bands’ and ‘Beat the Teacher’ which aim to encourage children to enjoy their learning.
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