At St Martin’s School we believe that every child can do Maths. It is important that our children develop a secure and deep level understanding of mathematical concepts that is fully embedded and ready to be built on in future learning. We want the children to be mathematically fluent, able to quickly recall number facts and apply this knowledge with confidence and accuracy to different situations. It is key that the children’s fluency is developed alongside mathematical reasoning and problem solving so that they are able to make links with different areas of learning and build on existing knowledge. Mathematical vocabulary is encouraged in order that the children can develop and share their understanding, reasoning and problem solving effectively, both independently and with others. Finally, we endeavour to nurture the children’s curiosity and enjoyment to ensure our children leave St Martin’s School with positive attitudes and positive feelings towards mathematics.

The National Curriculum for Mathematics, supported through our teaching, aims to ensure pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately,
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language,
• can solve problems by applying their Maths to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

White Rose Maths

Our curriculum maps for Maths are based on the White Rose yearly overviews. These set out the curriculum in blocks, enabling children to get to grips with different areas of Maths through extended periods of time following small, incremental steps to mastery. Teachers plan lessons using the White Rose Maths Premium resources to support teaching and learning, enriched with materials from other sources such as NRich and the NCETM. A ‘mastery’ approach has been adapted and implemented at St Martin’s School for planning, delivery and engagement with Maths. The implementation of teaching for mastery in the classroom supports the children’s mathematical fluency and builds on their understanding through a concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) approach. When planning, teachers take mastery strategies into account and display these within their own lessons. These include:

• using planned small steps,
• a ping pong style of delivery (I do, we do, you do),
• implementing a CPA approach when introducing, exploring and applying mathematical concepts,
• considering key questions and mathematical vocabulary at the planning stage,
• providing regular opportunities for verbal and written or drawn reasoning using mathematical vocabulary to explain,
• relevant problem solving opportunities,
• allowing children to draw upon multiple concepts to approach a challenge,
• inclusion of all learners, providing relevant support for those with additional needs (educational, medical or otherwise).

Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS)/NumBots

Every child in KS2 has a TTRS login. This is an engaging online programme which supports the learning and speedy recall of times tables. The children can take part in single player activities to improve their own knowledge and speed and, when they feel confident enough, they can take on challenges from other children in their class, our school and across the TTRS community.  There are several different platforms within TTRS, including Soundcheck which emulates the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) and allows children to practise entering multiplication answers online at speed.

In EYFS and KS1, children use NumBots, which focuses on number bonds and enables children to develop their understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction, so that they move from counting to calculating. It offers two approaches to learning:

• Story Mode - the emphasis here is on learning the ideas and concepts behind addition and subtraction so it features more diagrams, shapes and question styles,
• Challenge Mode – the emphasis is more on speed of recall of key facts, like number bonds to 10, doubling small numbers or adding and taking away mentally.

Mastering Number at Reception and KS1

This is a fully-funded program that helps children in EYFS and KS1 develop a strong understanding of numbers and number sense, offered to schools by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and the Maths Hubs Network. This is our first year participating in the program. There will be a daily teaching session for 10 to 15 minutes, four days a week, in addition to the timetabled Maths lesson in KS1. In EYFS this program will form the basis of daily Maths sessions focused on number, supported by small group and independent activities, with additional teaching of shape, space and measures at different points in the year. Research shows that children who have a secure understanding of numbers early on make more progress in Maths and across the curriculum later on.

The program's goals include: 

• Developing fluency and flexibility with number facts,
• Helping children understand basic number facts, such as odd and even, subitisng, and number bonds within 20,
• Ensuring children leave KS1 with confidence and flexibility with number and fluency in calculation.

Please click on the links below to find out more about Maths at St Martin's and to access a range of resources to help you to understand our curriculum.