Mathematics is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind, we endeavour to ensure that children develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards Mathematics that will stay with them throughout their lives. Maths helps children to make sense of the world around them, this is achieved by understanding relationships and patterns in; quantity, space, shape and measure in everyday life.
At Birtley East Community Primary School, Mathematics is taught daily. Children receive a formal maths lesson and also have hands-on practical experience of mathematical activities across the curriculum. Our aim is to make maths relevant, achievable and fun for all. We have identified key objectives (non-negotiables) that we believe are the fundamental building blocks for children to access and achieve across the maths curriculum. Revisiting these concepts frequently facilitates the retention of strategies and supports them being retained into the children’s long-term memory: this occurs during the morning Soft Start session as the children arrive at school. Problem solving and reasoning activities are integrated in all elements of the maths curriculum in order to bring it to life in ways that engage every pupil. We teach using a Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract approach to ensure the children have a firm understanding of the concepts they are being taught.
The recall of facts is essential for children to access a range of mathematical concepts therefore we have introduced NumBots and Times Table Rockstars: fun and challenging programmes designed to help pupils master the times tables! It is recommended that that children does several short bursts of times table practice per week to build up their speed and accuracy.
These programmes can be accessed online at https://numbots.com/ or https://ttrockstars.com/.
Each child from Reception to Year 6 at Birtley East has their own username and password. You can also access the NumBots or Times Table Rockstars app, which can be downloaded from an Android or Apple device. School has subscribed to these websites and the apps, therefore there are no additional costs to families.
The images below show the thinking behind our mathematics curriculum, the word document via the link below includes these images and further breakdown of the maths teaching in each year group:
The link below opens our calculation policy which shows the progression in the ways we teach children to calculate:
