St Mary's Mathematics
We love Maths at St Mary’s! Each class is brimming with mathematical equipment to immerse children in number, shape, measurement and mathematical concepts.
We teach a Mastery Curriculum. The underlying principle of this is the belief that everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics. Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid understanding of the Maths that’s been taught in order to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material. Lessons at St Mary’s are carefully sequenced to introduce new learning which builds on prior knowledge. New material is presented in small steps in order to build secure understanding. Examples, representations and models are carefully selected to expose the structure of mathematical concepts and emphasise connections, enabling pupils to develop a deep knowledge of mathematics. Children make links between what they have learnt and what they are learning. We promote and celebrate those mathematical processes which lead us to answers. We find that children at St Mary’s are naturally inquisitive; they look for patterns and suggest solutions. The classroom is a safe and encouraging environment where children can take risks and explore Maths with increasing resilience.
Working with a range of apparatus and representations is at the heart of Maths teaching at St Mary’s. In using and manipulating apparatus, children build ‘pictures’ of number in their mind and therefore develop a strong ‘sense’ of number on which to build future learning. We use the ‘White Rose’ scheme of work which has this at its core.
Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence. In a typical lesson, the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration, and discussion, enabling pupils to think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems. Use of precise mathematical language enables all pupils to communicate their reasoning and thinking effectively. If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind.
This year we are embarking on a ‘Mastering Number’ scheme developed by the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the teaching of Mathematics). This project aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number.
KIRFS
Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFS) are designed to support the development of the mental skills and key knowledge that underpin much of the maths work in schools.
An important part of maths development has always been learning of certain maths facts. For many years this has included practising times tables and addition facts, such as numberbonds and doubles. Each half term we focus on one area of Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs) that will be taught in school but can be practised at home as well. Please click on the links below to access this terms KIRFS. There are a number of online links for each KIRF.
We know that, by learning these key facts which have been carefully structured to build upon each other term by term, year by year, children will leave school with a much stronger foundation of mathematical understanding to build upon and this will have huge benefits for all of the other topics that they will study in school in maths.
