Cranborne Primary School
MATHS
Mathematics is ‘essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment’ (National Curriculum, September 2013).
At Cranborne, we strive to enable our pupils to become life-long learners, capable of facing challenges and recognising their own learning needs and how these can be developed. A high-quality mathematics education provides excellent foundations for this, providing children with a deeper understanding of the world around them, the ability to reason, explain and justify mathematically and the capacity to learn from mistakes by reflecting on feedback and solving problems. Through carefully planned lessons and activities, we endeavour to instil a ‘sense of enjoyment and curiosity’ about mathematics in all children.
Alongside our EPIC curriculum we use a mastery approach to teaching and learning. We believe that maths should be exciting, progressive, interlinking, challenging and relevant to all children and their lives in an ever changing 21st century. We strongly believe that teaching and learning in maths is based on sound mathematical learning rather than simply taught as a set of memorised techniques. This is reflected in our calculation policy which supports the use of concrete equipment and pictorial representations alongside the teaching of formal methods.
Maths at Cranborne is focused on the three aims of the 2014 national curriculum so that all children:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, so that children develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, look for patterns, and articulating their ideas, justifying and explaining their thinking using mathematical language
- can solve problems by applying their knowledge and skills to a variety of problems, breaking them down into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
To ensure rapid progress, each child is given regular opportunities to practise, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts. Any misconceptions that arise are addressed as part of the lesson or on the same day. Here at Cranborne we use the HfL maths Essentials Sequences as a tool for planning and teaching. This allows children to build strong foundations in their mathematical understanding, apply this learning within different contexts and move onto using formal methods.
If your child is in full time education at Cranborne School (Reception class to Year 6), they will have been provided with a username and password for the global online maths programme, 'Mathletics'. This provides your child with access to the programme from home.
Use the Mathletics link above to make use of this excellent resource to help practise and enhance key mathematical skills in a fun and engaging way. This is also used for homework, additional revision and as part of lessons in class. If your child has lost or does not know their log-in please ask the class teacher to re-issue it.
Mathletics Parent Tour - 3P Learning Help Hub
Other helpful websites:
https://www.purplemash.com/sch/cranborneen6
http://www.iseemaths.com/home-lessons/
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/maths/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/numeracy
https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/blog/learning-home-packs/
https://www.mathematicsmastery.org/free-resources
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games
The Maths Curriculum at Cranborne
At Cranborne, teachers use the HfL Essential Sequences to plan learning within and across year groups from Early Years through to Year 6.
The sequences for Reception are are written as a spiral curriculum in which learning is built upon step by step, sequence by sequence, providing for a progression in the children’s conceptual understanding. Teachers use these to plan for repetition and rich variation in context.
Below is the long-term planning, covering the content and progression of the curriculum for each year group from Year 1 to 6. The time allocated for each concept and topic is a guide and teachers may spend more or less time than suggested based on the learning needs of their class.
Click on each year group to view the long term plan.
Reception
Primary Maths Challenge
Children in Years 3 to 6 take part in the Primary Maths Challenge. The challenge involves each of the selected children, sitting a paper of 25 questions alongside many more children nationwide.
The children take the challenge in school during a particular week in November. They work on a range of problems, using and applying their mathematical skills and knowledge. We are always incredibly proud of the children's resilience and persistence!
The results are submitted online and some of our lucky pupils may be selected to take part in in a worldwide competition later in the year!
All participating children will receive certificates in a whole school celebration assembly.
Watch this space to find out how our children this year get on!
If you'd like to learn more, please pay a visit to the Primary Maths Challenge website using the link below.
Our lovely Primary Maths Challenge participants! A big congratulations to you all. A very special congratulations goes to Kush, Amy, Rex and Tanya who go through to the bonus round!
Times Tables Rock Stars
All children from Years 1 to 6 have been provided with a username and password for the programme, Times Tables Rock Stars. This programme is a fun and motivating way for children to master their times tables. The website allows the children to practise their times tables through a competitive element. When your child logs on, they can select different areas, known as arenas, to complete a range of times table tests. Teachers, may set the times tables they would like children to practise. Your child should be using Times Table Rock Stars on a regular basis as part of their homework.
Click on the image below to visit the Times Table Rock Stars website.
Foundation Stage
Children in Early Years develop firm mathematical foundations in a way that is engaging, and appropriate for their age. Children acquire concepts and develop their understanding of Mathematics through opportunities and activities that involve matching, comparing, classifying, and making patterns and sequences in different contexts. They improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating, simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measure.
Key Stage 1
The main aim of mathematics teaching in Key Stage 1 is to develop children's confidence and mental fluency with numbers, counting and place value. Activities involve children working with numerals, words and the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Children use a range of practical resources, including bead-strings, tens frames and measuring tools.
Children also learn to recognise, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. They use a variety of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity, time and money.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, children become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. Children develop efficient written and mental methods and solve calculations accurately. They extend their knowledge and understanding of the number system, using increasingly
larger numbers and develop their ability to make connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. Children in Key Stage 2 are introduced to the language of algebra and tackle a wide range of problems in a variety of contexts, including problems involving geometry and measure.
Maths Ambassadors
In Year 6, we have ten very enthusiastic children who want to raise the profile of maths and help the other children in our school. Some of these children help out in younger classes to explain their learning to them or recap previous learning. On the playground, some of our Maths Ambassadors make questions and listen to the children's answers and play maths games with the children. During assembly, Maths Ambassadors also tell the school of our Times Table Rockstar Leaderboard for that week.
Here are some photos of our lovely team and some of them explaining their questions to Year 1.
