Maths at North Scarle Primary School

At North Scarle Primary we intend for our children to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems, so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

Inclusivity: It is our belief that all children in our school can become competent in mathematics. Our maths curriculum is designed so that all children can experience success, and adaptations or catch-up interventions are put in place for children who may need it.

Enriched: Alongside our carefully planned maths lessons, children have the opportunity to take part TT rockstar (times tables) competitions, as well as receiving financial education through our visits with HSBC.

Aspirational: Our consistently high expectations ensure that all children are able to achieve and become fluent in all aspects of maths. Our older children know what good writing looks like and aspire to compose high quality pieces of writing that persuade, entertain, inform or discuss a range of topics. 

Inspirational: Enterprise and fundraising play a key part in enriching our maths curriculum. Classes have the opportunity to partake in an enterprise project each year in order to raise money for the school. Children learn to plan, budget and negotiate, and take full responsibility for keeping track of the pennies throughout!

How is maths taught at North Scarle?

Our children’s maths journey begins in pre-school with our Little Learners. Children in EYFS explore mathematical concepts through active exploration and their everyday play-based learning. Children are taught key concepts and develop number sense using a hands-on practical approach. EYFS practitioners provide opportunities for children to manipulate a variety of objects which supports their understanding of quantity and number.  For those children who are in Reception, additional number sessions are provided through the NCETM’s Mastering Number programme. Mastering Number 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 over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number.

From Year 1, to ensure full curriculum coverage, we have adopted the ‘White Rose’ scheme for maths. This is a whole-school primary maths curriculum that creates continuity and progression in the teaching of mathematics. Learning is broken down into small, connected steps, building upon children’s prior knowledge with almost every lesson including aspects of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Concrete manipulatives and pictorial (CPA) representations are used to support conceptual understanding where suitable. Opportunities for additional fluency practice (instant recall of key facts within mathematics) are provided daily in the form of ‘morning challenges’ and at the beginning of each maths lesson.

What is our intended impact for maths?

By the end of Year 6, transitioning to secondary school, we aspire that our children will have developed a bank of efficient and accurate skills that can be used to calculate effectively. Children will be able to apply these calculation skills and understanding of other areas to become confident and resilient problem-solvers with the ability to reason and articulate their ideas mathematically.