Implementation

At Fordcombe, White Rose is used as the broad basis for planning from Year 1 – Year 6, with each Mixed Year group class following the Upper Year group curriculum. Our teaching blocks are shorter to ensure time to revisit concepts throughout the school year, but the WRM Small Steps inform our daily learning objectives.

In Reception, the EYFS curriculum is taught over the year to coincide with the main topic being taught. As the year progresses, the teacher will begin to introduce the Year 1 White Rose small steps into their teaching to ensure children are ready for the transition to Key Stage 1.

In addition to daily maths lessons, we are committed to running Rapid Intervention groups after each daily lesson whereby children have misconceptions addressed before the end of the school day.

A large part of our intent is to ensure the children understand how beneficial the skills they learn in Maths at school will equip them for life in the wider world. In order to support our daily teaching, we devote time across the year to teach maths through cross curricula themed days eg. We hold a Maths Through Stories day each year during Book Week, have a dedicated whole school maths project task annually ( scavenger hunt, festival of triangles, escape rooms) and have a Maths Day filled with challenges and problem solving tasks for children to compete in. The children are usually grouped vertically for such days- not only do they develop their links between maths and the wider world ( culture capital), but they draw on their PSHE learning to support one another regardless of age and ability.

Personalised Learning

At Fordcombe, we are committed to ensuring that every child has the personalised learning journey they deserve. Successful learning and enjoyment of a subject comes through ensuring every child has access to the resources they need (physical manipulatives, visual aids and abstract resources), regardless of their ability. We vary our questioning styles and imagery deliberately to encourage critical thinking and avoid mechanical repetition.

We have adult led intervention in place for targeted children to support the consolidation of their fluency skills, address misconception or deepen understanding on a personal level. Some children may receive focus on a certain area of Maths according to needs identified on an Individual support plan.

Assessment

At the end of every key stage, children are assessed on arithmetic and reasoning through Statutory Assessment Tests.

Our teaching program ensures children are able to sit these assessments with the confidence they need to show their ability to calculate, reason and problem solve.

In addition, for years 2-6, regular termly assessments enable teachers to assess attainment against age related expectations to inform individual targets.

Formative assessment is made by teachers on a daily basis to check retention of learning from the previous lesson and assess the children’s level of understanding of the learning they will be doing in the lesson that day. This formative assessment question is highlighted on the daily lesson plans and the teacher will use it to guide the lesson journey for the day.

Live marking takes place in every lesson – this informs the class teacher and other adults in the classroom which children need rapid intervention that day.

Calculation

Click here for our Calculation policy for Mathematics.

Number Bond Skills

• Children in year 1 and 2 complete weekly number bond challenges ( from January)
• Number bonds to 10 addition and subtraction facts
• Number bonds to 20 addition and subtraction facts
• Number bonds to 100 addition and subtraction facts

Times Tables

An ability to rapidly and accurately recall multiplication and division facts boosts children’s fluency and confidence and supports the mastery philosophy we subscribe to. The Government has introduced a mandatory on-line Multiplication Check which all children at the end of Year 4 must take.

National Curriculum Expectations for Times Tables are as follows:

• Year 1- count in multiples of 2,5 and 10. Use doubles and halves to 10.
• Year 2- 2,5,10 multiplication and division facts
• Year 3- 3,4,8 multiplication and division facts
• Year 4-all up to 12x12 multiplication and division facts
• Year 5 and 6 revision of multiplication and division facts

As a result of ongoing CPD with Jenny Field, we are monitoring and adapting our teaching of times tables currently. We teach one times table per half term with 3 isolated lessons per term focussing on the conceptual variation of that times tables to help secure the children’s understanding and ability to reason with and apply their knowledge.

Mastery of Times Tables

Children in KS2 have weekly times tables tests.

Children in Year 2 (and those Year 1 children who have completed our KS1 number bond challenges) follow a personalised 2,5 and 10 times tables challenge weekly. Both are personalised systems to allow children to move through the program at their own pace. It allows teachers to identify children who need more support.

Click here to see examples of the weekly times tables test for KS1 and KS2.

Impact

At Fordcombe, we believe being able to recall key facts, reason and problem solve in a variety of settings and scenarios are imperative to a lifetime of learning.

Our approach to teaching Maths enables our pupils to leave at the end of Year 6 as confident Mathematicians with the ability to challenge themselves, take risks with their problem solving skills and most of all class