At Thringstone Primary School, our aim is for children to become mathematical thinkers by confidently selecting efficient strategies to ensure they are fluent, can reason mathematically and solve problems effectively. Children are taught the skills and expected to apply their learning in a variety of contexts. Practical and context-based resources allow children to make links between their learning and the world around them.

How is it taught?

Through our Maths curriculum, all children are taught the key areas of Number, Measurement and Geometry. From Year 2, they are also taught about Statistics.

Across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, objects, pictures, key vocabulary, sentence stems, numbers, concrete apparatus and visual representations of examples are readily available and easily accessed.

Thringstone uses a ‘Mastery’ approach to maths which incorporates all of these to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen understanding. Together, these elements help cement knowledge so pupils truly understand what new learning they have. All pupils, when introduced to a key concept, should have the opportunity to build a high level of competency in this topic by taking this approach. Pupils are encouraged to physically or visually represent mathematical concepts. Objects, pictures and other visual representations are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols.

Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.
Pictorial – children then build upon this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can be used to reason and problem solve.
Abstract – With the foundations firmly laid, children can move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

EYFS

Each week, the children are taught four sessions from the Mastering Number programme. The fifth session of the week, explores the aspects of Space, Shape and Measure. This session, follows the structure of the White Rose Maths units.

KS1

In Key Stage 1, the children complete four short sessions each week, which focus on number fluency and are part of the Mastering Number programme. In addition to this, the children will have a Maths session each day. These Maths sessions follow the structure of the White Rose Maths units.

KS2

In Key Stage 2, the children have a daily Maths session which follows the structure of the White Rose Maths units.

Our mathematical journey

The mathematical journey that the children take at Thringstone Primary School, follows the path set out in the National Curriculum:

EYFS

Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. Children should be able to count confidently, develop a deep understanding of the numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers. By providing frequent and varied opportunities to build and apply this understanding - such as using manipulatives, including small pebbles and tens frames for organising counting - children will develop a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary from which mastery of mathematics is built. In addition, it is important that the curriculum includes rich opportunities for children to develop their spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape, space and measures. It is important that children develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, look for patterns and relationships, spot connections, ‘have a go’, talk to adults and peers about what they notice and not be afraid to make mistakes

ELG: Number Children at the expected level of development will:

- Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number,

- Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;

- Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

ELG: Numerical Patterns Children at the expected level of development will:

- Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;

- Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;

- Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

KS1

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 four operations, including with practical resources [for example, concrete objects and measuring tools].

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 know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis on practice at this early stage will aid fluency.

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

Lower KS2 - Years 3 & 4

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in Lower Key Stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four 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.

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.

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

Upper Key Stage 2 - Years 5 & 6

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. Teaching in geometry and measures should consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number. Teaching should also ensure that pupils classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and that they learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.

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.

Pupils should read, spell and pronounce mathematical vocabulary correctly.

Celebrating and promoting maths

At Thringstone Primary School, we love to celebrate our children’s work and as part of this celebration, a child from each class is chosen each week as our Mathematician of the Week. Their work is displayed proudly on our classroom Maths Working Wall. As the recall of number bonds and multiplication tables are key to understanding many mathematical concepts, we also celebrate our children’s successes with our weekly Number Bonds and Times Tables Awards, as well as our Times Tables Rockstars Awards.

Raising money whilst having fun

Every year, we support the NSPCC’s Number Day, which enables us to raise money for the charity, whilst completing a variety of fun Maths activities, dressed in our mathematically themed outfits.