Curriculum - Maths

Maths at Ladybarn!

and at our other Trust schools

Our Intent

Our Maths curriculum is based around the National curriculum. The intent is that children will progressively develop independence in fluency, reasoning and problem solving. They will be able to demonstrate their understanding through oracy, calculation and diagrammatic representation.

The children will have a sense of self as mathematicians and how maths is applied in everyday contexts, the wider world and future career opportunities within STEM.

We asked our children ‘What do you think about maths?’

‘Our maths lessons are brilliant and I love them! I get to do addition sentences and find out the answers!’ Year 1

‘I like maths a lot. I like to fight out the questions and solve them. I really try my best!’ Year 1

‘I really like maths to the moon and back! I like to find out new things and we have fun lessons with quizzes and flashback fours!’ Year 2

‘It’s so fun because maths helps people make phones and iPads and stuff!’ Year 3

‘I love numbers! I love doing my times tables. It’s like a poem, you find the rhythm and the order and you get it right!’ Year 4

‘I love maths so much! I love getting my times table badges. I practise A LOT!’ Year 4

‘I love maths! It’s fun to solve problems and the lessons make my brain work hard. It really keeps me calm too.’ Year 5

‘I love maths because it’s a puzzle for your brain and you have to work hard to figure it out! If you get good at it you can be anything like an architect or engineer.’ Year 5

‘I like long division and it gets easier and easier the more I try and practise!’ Year 6

‘I like simplifying fractions, addition and all kinds of maths!’ Year 6

‘I like maths because there is always something new to learn and different calculations to solve and it can be so fun! I like drawing diagrams to show my working out and learning ‘cheats’ and ‘tricks’ like using my hands to solve my nine times table.’ Year 6

What is fluency in maths?

Fluency in maths is a fairly broad concept. The basics of mathematical fluency – as defined by the KS1 / KS2 National Curriculum for maths – involve knowing key mathematical facts and being able to recall them quickly and accurately. But true fluency in maths (at least up to Key Stage 2) means being able to apply the same skill to multiple contexts, and being able to choose the most appropriate method for a particular task.Fluency in maths lessons means we teach the content using a range of representations, to ensure that all pupils understand and have sufficient time to practise what is taught.

What is reasoning in maths?

Reasoning in maths is the process of applying logical thinking to a situation to derive the correct problem solving strategy for a given question, and using this method to develop and describe a solution.

Put more simply, mathematical reasoning is the bridge between fluency and problem solving. It allows pupils to use the former to accurately carry out the latter.

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What is problem solving in maths?

It’s sometimes easier to start off with what problem solving is not. Problem solving is not necessarily just about answering word problems in maths. If a child already has a readily available method to solve this sort of problem, problem solving has not occurred. Problem solving in maths is finding a way to apply knowledge and skills you have to answer unfamiliar types of problems.

Our mathematics policy for teaching mathematics can be found here.

What are manipulatives and concrete materials in maths?

Concrete resources, also known as manipulatives, are physical objects that children can pick up and manipulate to improve their maths knowledge. Used in maths education, a variety of concrete maths resources can help children to understand the relationship between numbers and the number system. Here are some we use in school.

Numicon

Numicon is an approach to teaching maths that helps children to see connections between numbers. It supports children as they learn early maths skills. It is a multi-sensory way of learning, which means your children learns by seeing and feeling.

Physical resources like the colourful Numicon Shapes are an important part of Numicon. The holes in the Numicon Shapes represent the numbers 1 and 10. When they are arranged in order, as in the picture below, children can easily see connections between numbers such as ‘one’ more and ‘one less’.

Later on, children will be able to see more complex mathematical ideas, like how two fours make eight, three twos make six and so on. This lays the foundation for their understanding of number all the way through school.

Base 10

Have you used numbers 0 - 9 to count? Then without even realising, you've used base-10! Base 10 is a method of assigning a place value to numbers. It's also known as the place value number system, or decimal system, as the numerical value of a number relies on where the decimal point sits.

Base Ten is widely recognised as a preferred teaching resource for place value, but also for demonstrating early addition, subtraction and algebra. The children are able to physically hold the tens and ones and see a representation of a large number which supports their understanding of what that number in terms of tens and ones.

For example, a common misconception is that the digit 4 in ‘45’ means 4 when in fact in represents ‘40’. By using Base 10 the children are able to clearly see the representation and have a clearer understanding of place value.

Ten-Frame

A ten frame is a simple tool for teaching maths. They help children to develop number sense and early numeracy skills. The more young children encounter numbers and how they interact with each other, the more their number sense and skill grows.

You can use a ten frame to help children with addition and subtraction. Ten frames are two-by-five rectangular frames that form a base for which objects like counters can be placed. Using this device, children can practice with numbers from one to ten. By using ten frames, children can develop number sense in a visual and physical way, which is great news for their memory cognition as it activates all parts of the brain. A ten frame reinforces fluency skills and ensures children a complete understanding of numbers to 10 and beyond.

Part Whole Model
The part-whole model is the concept of how numbers can be split into parts. Children using this model will see the relationship between the whole number and the component parts. This helps learners make the connections between addition and subtraction.

Calculations

We have a clear written calculations policy that we use throughout the school. The number line is widely used and with the column method following when children are able to work in the abstract confidently.

The stage number directly relates to the year group i.e. Year 4 use stage 4 methods.

The videos at the bottom of this page show the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division methods for each year group across the trust.

We Love Times Tables!

These are an essential part of maths and it is impossible to perform multiplication and division calculations without having rapid recall of times tables.

We reward children with badges as they learn each times table.

The progression of skills is as follows:

Year 1 – Count on and back in 2s, 5s and 10s
Year 2 – Know by heart the 2, 5 and 10 times table and the related division facts.
Year 3 - Know by heart the 3, 4 and 8 times table and the related division facts.
Year 4 - Know by heart the 6, 7 and 9, 11 and 12 times table and the related division facts.
Year 5 and 6 – Consolidate and practice fluency

We encourage the children to learn their times tables in lots of different ways. We love incorporating games and even sports into our maths lessons, make sure you watch the video below of our times table relay.

Maths skills are not just for maths lessons!

Maths is taught across the curriculum and we ensure children are able to apply their mathematical skills within the wider curriculum. Children are taught logical thinking, reasoning, problem solving within maths lessons however these skills are applied in other subject areas.

Within the Trust, we recognise that many jobs of the future will require an expertise in STEM. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and maths. These four fields share an emphasis on innovation,problem-solving and critical thinking. And together they make up a popular and fast-growing industry. Within our Trust we want to ensure our children are equipped for not only jobs for today but the jobs for tomorrow and maths plays an important role in many of those new professions.

Look out for further information about our STEM Super Learning Day on March 26th 2024.

If you think you dont use maths in your everyday lives - think again!

Our Trust understands the importance of maths and its necessity in everyday life. The children in our schools understand their mathematical learning is for a purpose, its usage in their everyday lives, contexts and is life long. The skills we teach support better life outcomes and independence in adulthood. Think about your daily routine and how much maths you have used today without really thinking too hard about it.

Take a walk in the park, our children in EYFS were learning about measure, and used this knowledge in searching for the longest leaf in the school. This competition energized the children to compare measurements using the maths vocabulary in a context they thought was an exciting game. The next time you're in the park or garden look for the biggest or smallest stick and compare measurements.

Money is threaded throughout our curriculum, KS1 children were learning about money and how they can add amounts together. It’s never too early to learn about financial security. The children love being able to rehearse these skills at home and count how much money is in a pot or purse at home. This could just be pennies in a jar but the recognition of coins and addition

that follows is all great rehearsal of maths skills.

Time, we don’t want to be late. Time is not only integrated into our curriculum but our everyday school life, we don’t want to miss out on lunch play. This journey continues into Year 6 as the children plan their bus routes to highschool, working out home much time it takes, when they need to arrive

In Year 5, children take on a ‘Fiver Challenge’, during which they are given £5 in small groups and tasked to make a profit. The children come up with different ways to create money, through creating craft, food, treats and activity stalls in the school hall. The children have to demonstrate an understanding of loss and gain, pricing, budgeting as well as working as part of a team.

These events are hugely successful and the children are often talking about them for many months or even years afterwards. Creating these experiences within maths and our curriculum ensures that children have real life experiences of using maths in the wider world not only in maths lessons.

What is sticky learning in maths?

At the beginning of each maths lesson or within sticky learning sessions, the children are given allocated time to reflect and revisit previous learning. We encourage the children to complete these activities independently and silently to show what they can recall from previous years, units and lessons. These Flashback 4 sheets help to inform us of where gaps are in the children's learning and any misconceptions that need addressing.

Throughout the week, we provide opportunities for sticky learning for fundamental key skills in maths. Sticky learning will look different each year group but focuses on the over learning and quick recall of fundamental skills, which contribute to fluency and quick application in the children’s written work. For example, teachers may choose to have children answer the register by giving a number bond to ten, a multiple from the 4 times table or a factor of the number 24. By giving the children these opportunities to over learn and practice these key skills, by the time they come to apply them in context, they are ready to recall accurately and with confidence.

How can you help at home?

There are lots of ways to help your child practice maths at home beyond helping with homework. Here are some suggestions:

Allow children to help with shopping at an age appropriate level i.e. handing over money, collecting change, deciding if items in a shop are good offers or not etc.
For younger children - lots of counting and courting songs i.e. five little ducks, ten green bottles. Don’t forget to count backwards!
Practice times tables together, make a game out of it as much as possible, children learn more and faster if it’s fun!
Involve children in cooking. Weights and times are an essential part of everyday maths.
Involve them in simple DIY tasks where measuring is a part of the job.
Play estimation games i.e. how long do you think it will take us to get there? How much do you think this weighs?
Telling the time, this is easy to drop in at any point in the day.
Find shapes in the environment.
There are also games available on the internet.