At Emersons Green Primary School, our Mathematics curriculum embodies our mission of Forging Mighty Futures by nurturing children to be fluent and flexible with key concepts, equipping them for future challenges and instilling in them an enjoyment and understanding of mathematics that will empower them throughout their lives.
- We embrace practice and effort by identifying the essential knowledge students require for success and constructing our lessons around this fundamental understanding. Our lesson structure is meticulously designed to activate prior knowledge, followed by modelling and explicit teaching of concepts. We then scaffold practice and facilitate independent opportunities to deepen understanding. Our Reasoning Toolkit empowers all children to access and engage with more complex and multi-layered activities, enabling them to approach mathematics with confidence and curiosity.
- We are committed to pursuing excellence through high expectations for all learners, both in terms of engagement and attainment. Engagement is fostered through our active participation protocols which encourage all pupils to contribute meaningfully to their learning. Achievement is closely monitored via frequent marking and feedback opportunities, ensuring that students are aware of their progress and areas for improvement. We strive for our children to develop a firm grasp of fundamental arithmetic strategies, number facts, and mathematical vocabulary through a structured and coherent approach to the curriculum.
- We build bravery by encouraging children to apply their knowledge across diverse contexts and to make connections amongst various mathematical concepts. Our learners are challenged to be resilient and reflective, engaging in high-quality maths talks that are anchored by appropriate mathematical vocabulary. This process not only allows them to extend their higher-order thinking skills but also encourages them to reason with their acquired knowledge and articulate explanations that support their understanding.
- We champion uniqueness through responsive and adaptive teaching techniques. We implement both forwards and backwards tracking within our curriculum’s disciplinary strands to ensure that we can build tailored learning pathways for all pupils. Individual needs are carefully identified, with learning broken down into sequential steps to guarantee progress. We provide the necessary support and scaffolding, gradually removing these as students gain confidence and independence in their mathematical journey.
We follow White Rose in all year groups to ensure all areas of the National Curriculum are covered and that prior learning is considered so progression across years groups can be seen. This scheme of learning is divided into blocks of content/learning and then further divided into small steps. These steps have been carefully sequenced and build on from each other.
Download: Maths Curriculum Coverage
Our knowledge development document shows how the blocks of learning and small steps have been organised for each year group. It also details the vocabulary and demonstrates the prior learning that is needed for each unit.
Download: Maths Knowledge Development
There are three elements to the primary curriculum and they are central to our maths teaching. Each lesson has these woven into their design so children have the opportunity to explore them daily.
- Fluency – fluency is the ability of knowing key mathematical facts and arithmetic strategies and being able to recall them quickly and accurately. At Emersons Green we teach varied fluency as well so we teach the children using a range of representations and strategies so as the children become more fluent, they are able to select the most efficient and appropriate method.
- Reasoning – reasoning is the ability to apply their thinking to solve a problem. The children are able to explain and articulate their thinking and how they come to work out a correct strategy. Reasoning is the bridge between fluency and problem-solving.
- Problem Solving – problem-solving in maths is finding a way to apply knowledge and skills you have to answer unfamiliar types of problems. This involves using what you have been taught.
Maths Lessons
Our maths lessons follow a clear structure to allow for consistency and routine across the school. All of our maths lessons contain these elements and the information below shows how Emersons Green teaches maths.
Within our Maths lessons we use Active Participation techniques to ensure all children are actively involved in their learning rather than passively let it happen around them. These techniques also allow the teacher to identify and address, where appropriate, any misconceptions and check if the children are ready to move on. This is used throughout the maths lesson, mainly through the use of mini whiteboards and questioning. Our whiteboard routines can be seen below.
Assessment
Assessment happens informally within every lesson to checked if the children have grasped the taught content or need further input. This can be done on an individual, small group or whole class basis.
The children’s work is marked by the teacher before the next lesson to see of the children are ready to move onto the next step of learning or if further teaching is needed.
The children are formally assessed at three points during the school year: Terms 2, 4 and 6 to check progress and understanding of the content taught up to that point in the year. We use White Rose Assessments at these points as they link directly to what the children have been taught. Parents Meetings and reports allow you find out this information.
Pupils in Yr6 will take SATs (Statutory Assessment Tests) during Term 5. These assessments are set by the DfE and children across the whole country sit the same tests. They are designed to test the knowledge gained throughout the key stage. Parents will be invited to a meeting prior to this at which we will help you to understand the process and ways in which you can support your child.
Download: KS1 and KS2 SATS INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Download: RESULTS AT THE END OF KS2
Year 4 take the Multiplication Tables Check during Term 6 to assess their accuracy and speed in the recall of their multiplication tables. Nationally the children are expected to be able to answer each question within 6 seconds and to get each one correct.
Download: PARENT MULTIPLICATION GUIDE
EYFS. On entry to Reception, a baseline assessment is carried out and children’s starting point in maths is identified. At the end of their first year in school, the children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals and the goals set within the Emersons Green EYFS Curriculum.
Mathematical Fluency
We use Times Table Rock Stars and Numbots to help our children develop and become secure in their number facts.
Recalling and remembering these number facts is key to mathematical fluency – if the children can develop an excellent grasp of their addition and subtraction facts; multiplication and division facts and number bonds, they will have a solid foundation to apply these concepts to other areas of maths. This means they can become more confident, efficient and flexible mathematicians. Please read the document on Maths Fluency to find out more.
Download: MATHS FLUENCY DOCUMENT
Children are all given a login for TTRS and Numbots which supports and reinforces these facts at home. All children are expected to complete a set number of minutes each week, ranging from 6 minutes in Reception to 20 minutes in KS2.
Here is a parents’ guide to TTRS and Numbots.
Download: PARENTS GUIDES TO TTRS AND NUMBOTS
All children have been given an individual login, if you have not got this or have forgotten it, please contact the school.
If your child is using the TTRS app, please ensure that it is the most up-to-date app.
Achievements are celebrated in assembly each week.
Number Ninjas
We have a number of parents who come in to support our Year 4 children each week with the learning of their multiplication facts. They are our Number Ninjas. If you would like to volunteer, please see the school office.
Maths Websites
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zjxhfg8
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z826n39
- https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16
- https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/category/22/most-popular
- https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/
- https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
- https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/mental-maths-train
Arithmetic Automaticity
Our curriculum design includes carefully planned opportunities to develop secure recall, fluency and automaticity of arithmetic strategies and facts. All children from Year 1 to Year 6 have daily opportunities to engage in arithmetic practice as part of their morning routine. Additionally Year 5 and 6 focus upon key concepts in their Warm Up. These are mapped out/exemplified in the documents below:
Vocabulary
We recognise the importance of retaining facts and employing precise mathematical vocabulary to explain and support our mathematical talk. We use a mixture of flashcards and agreed vocabulary definitions to help the children develop their maths talk. We use the flashcards to support pre-teaching of new concepts and to retrieve previously taught concepts. Every year group has a set of flashcards containing key vocabulary for their year group. These are to be shown to and revised daily to ensure the children are familiar with and able to explain the concept or language shown.
Flashcards Examples
Examples of vocabulary cards
Reasoning Toolkits
The ability to reason and apply learning is crucial to mathematical understanding. To scaffold the children’s approach, we use a reasoning toolkit. They slightly differ between Key Stage One and Two but the principles remain the same. These are used within Maths lessons so all children have the opportunity to reason and problem solve.
- Establish and activate prior learning – what do I already know which may help me approach and answer this question?
- Organise my workings out – do I need to write a calculation? Do I need to draw a diagram like a part-whole model or bar model?
- Find the solution to the problem I have been set.
Key Stage One:
Key Stage 2:
Adaptive Teaching
We have taken guidance from the EEF’s ‘Five-a-day approach’ when considering adaptive teaching in Maths and this has been reflected in our lesson design. These strategies are used to set our children up for success and to support all children within their maths lessons.
