Brompton Westbrook Primary School

Maths

We recognise the importance of equipping children from an early age with the tools required to access a full curriculum and prepare for life in KS3 and beyond. This means that we place a key focus on the acquiring, retention and application of maths skills.

The National Curriculum states:

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

Our aim is to promote high standards of maths by equipping pupils with a strong command of the four operations and to develop their love of maths through linking it to other subjects in the curriculum. We will do this through a well-planned, sequential and ambitious maths curriculum using the mastery approach. Where possible, we aim to use the local context of the school and the physical school itself to support this.

The national curriculum for maths aims to ensure that all pupils:

Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics

Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry
Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication

The programmes of study for maths in Key Stages 1 and 2 build on and develop the learning acquired at each stage. The learning is split into three key areas:

Numbers and place value

In the Early Years the children will develop an understanding of patterns, counting and recognition of number.

By the end of KS1, pupils will have confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This involves working with numerals, words and the 4 operations, including using practical resources. They will know the numbers bonds to 20 and be precise in using place value.

During LKS2, pupils will become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the 4 operations. Pupils should be able to perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers. By the end of LKS2 they should have memorised their multiplication tables up to 12 x 12 and show precision and fluency in their work.

In UKS2, pupils will be extending their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. Pupils should also be developing connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. By the end of year 6 pupils will be fluent in written methods for all 4 operations and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

Space, shape and measure

By the end of KS1, pupils will develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. They should also be able, with support, to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money.

During LKS2, pupils will be developing their reasoning so that they can analyse shapes and their properties and make comparisons between them. They will be using measuring instruments with accuracy and be able to make connections between measure and number.

In UKS2, pupils will be able to classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.

Vocabulary

During KS1, pupils will be able to read and spell mathematical vocabulary at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge.

In LKS2, pupils will be able to read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

In UKS2, pupils will be able to read, spell and pronounce mathematical vocabulary correctly.

We LOVE maths here!

We use a mastery approach to our maths learning, which means that all of our pupils are taught key concepts around their maths learning and the bed them into their deeper understanding. We work alongside our local Maths Hub partners to develop our practice and skills to ensure that our maths teaching and learning is focused and develops children's long term understanding and recall.

We use the White Rose (https://whiterosemaths.com/) sequence of learning and Third Space Learning (https://thirdspacelearning.com/) planning to support maths in school but this is just the starting point - from here we personalise our pupils' learning and always try to ensure that maths follows our 5 principles of learning (based on research from the Education Endowment Fund and from the Finnish education system) :

Student Centred Learning (making students active agents in the learning process)
Deep Understanding and Creative Problem Solving (enabling children to confidently overcome challenging maths)
Stress-Free Learning (build on passion so that children develop a growth-mind-set and a love of challenge)
Personalised Learning (customise the learning path for each child on strengths and weaknesses)
Enabling Staff (Providing staff with the skills they need to deliver a well-considered maths curriculum in a timely and effective way)

Our Sequence of Learning:

Maths Ambassadors

There are 20 student maths ambassadors at Brompton-Westbrook Primary School, with 5 staff ambassadors and some community ambassadors too.

A student maths ambassador supports maths in school. Their roles are to understand key priorities, support development, communicate new ideas with their peers and relay progress.

Ambassadors are recruited when they display a passion for maths, demonstrate responsibility and good communication skills. They meet regularly and are required to perform individual maths tasks. Children share their findings with the relevant people.

Ambassadors believe that all children should be encouraged to be successful mathematicians. For this to happen, Ambassadors reflect on and plan for:

Student centred learning – all children will be active agents in their learning
Deep understanding and problem solving – all children will solve problems with confidence and they will be able to explain challenging maths
Stress-free learning – All children are passionate about maths and want to achieve well
Personalised learning – Children receive the support that they need to achieve well in maths
Enabling Staff – Staff have the skills to teach children well in maths.

How does it feel to be a maths ambassador?

I am a maths ambassador. I am very proud of myself because I am good at maths and I like to help other children improve. I know where to get the maths resources to support my friends. Our teachers are already really good at maths and we help them to get even better! We work with children to help them be stress free in maths. I enjoy maths ambassador meetings. We talk about maths and find ways to help other children in school. I enjoy the maths tasks that I am given and I am looking forward to receive more challenges. Also, I really enjoy the TTRockstars competitions and I am keen to find out when we are going to do more of them. (Eleanor, Year 3)

Our proud maths ambassadors 2021 2022

Freckle (https://freckle.com/en-gb/)

We have recently partnered with Rennaisance Learning and Freckle to provide more personalised learning support for our pupils.

Freckle enables children to access their own learning activities, set by their teacher, in a way that balances learning and fun. Pupils can access Freckle in school and at home and the learning activities provide them with chances to review, revisit and practice aspects of their classroom learning.

Mathematical Stories

The use of storytelling could be another effective way of learning maths while keeping your child firmly engaged with what they are doing. What’s more – this strategy is not limited to just pre-school children, but is applicable to those in primary schools and beyond too. There are lots of stories for all age groups that can be accessed and used to help with the learning of mathematical concepts, details of these can be found on the Maths Through Stories website https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/

As well as some suggestions of possible books to share with your child there are lots of suggestions about how to engage your child through the sharing of a story. If you do find a book that you think that your child would like to read please remember that we can always check the ATOS level of the book so that it may become part of your child's Accelerated Reader home learning. Please use your child's phase email to contact staff if you need help with this.

Here are some You Tube links to some mathematical stories