Mathematics at White Rock

At White Rock we love to have fun with our Maths learning! Everyday we experience our Maths learning through problem solving, which enables us to apply our Maths knowledge and understanding to real life situations. We have a real focus on Mathematical thinking and reasoning, using models and images to help us.

INTENT

At White Rock we embed the 5 Big Ideas of Mastery to provide a deepened understanding of mathematical structure. Our Mathematics Mastery curriculum has been developed to ensure every child can achieve in mathematics, with support and challenge provided along the way. Children are able to articulate mathematical ideas and are encouraged to reason and question every step of their learning journey. There is a clear, shared understanding of how concrete, pictorial and abstract representations provide pupils with a well-rounded understanding of mathematical concepts.

IMPLEMENTATION

We pride ourselves on our daily planning and use of AfL - having our pupils at the centre of all of our thinking and learning. As a school, we have a shared understanding of small steps planning to ensure children use appropriate steppingstones to fully understand Maths across our wider curriculum. We follow the White Rose Scheme ensuring small steps and coherent learning.

At White Rock we aim to develop life long learners and have fun with our Maths learning! Everyday we experience our Maths learning through problem solving, which enables us to apply our new and developing mathematical knowledge to real life situations. There is a real focus on Mathematical thinking and reasoning, using models and images, across all of the key stages to provide children with solid, core ideas embedded for life.

We believe that children’s constant rehearsal and deeper thinking of Mathematical skills are vital for the life opportunities our children will face later in life. Our aim is for all children to think mathematically, enabling them to reason, solve problems and assess a range of contexts, without fear or prejudice of getting answer ‘wrong’, but the confidence and mathematical knowledge to explain and un-picked mathematical ideas. We have been developing our fluency teaching and children now have access to 3 fluency sessions a week. Children are targeted throughout the year and interventions put in place. Year 4 have access to the computing suite to practise their multiplications in light of the Multiplication test at the end of the year.

IMPACT

We use assessment as our key tool to plan subsequence lessons and journeys, using the children’s prior knowledge and gaps in learning to facilitate this. We complete mini assessments or 'Hinge Questions' during our lessons in order to identify gaps and ensure these are covered in future learning. We also use 'Exit Tickets' at the end of sessions to identify groups of children who may need additional support or conferencing in this area of Maths. Termly assessment using the White Rose scheme means we are able to see significate gaps and feed this into our early morning work and future Maths learning.

Fluency at White Rock

At White Rock, we aim for every child to become proficient in mathematics with their number and times tables facts. Our fluency teaching is developed to allow children to make progress throughout the Maths curriculum, and in other subjects such as Design and Technology when finding the area and perimeter of shapes they are making, using their rapid recall of facts. To allow for it to be a manageable task to learn these facts, each of the tables have been divided into yearly and termly blocks.

As part of our learning, we use many different tools to support our times table learning including:

• Completing fluency booklets and chanting the answers as a class
• Times tables songs – A link has been attached below to BBC supermovers
• Times Tables Rockstars – Children have access to their individual accounts and has a carefully sequenced programme to help children learn their times tables.
• Hit the button – An interactive game

Multiplication Tables Check

In Year 4, children will complete the Multiplication Tables Check which is a national check to allow teachers and schools to identify any gaps in children’s tables knowledge. This information is shared with parents, along with your child’s end of year report. Please find below parental guidance about the test and information shared during the ‘Multiplication Tables Check Parent Meeting and Fluency Session’.

Maths working walls

During our Maths learning, we create a working wall to help support the children's knowledge and retention. Have a look at some of these below - 

Home learning

You may find the links below useful to support your child's Maths learning at home. These websites can be used independently by children to consolidate what they have learned in class.