At Townley we use a mastery approach to teaching maths across the school and staff have been trained in using and delivering lessons. Underpinning principles of the Mastery approach:
- Mathematics teaching for mastery assumes everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics.
- Mathematical learning behaviours are developed such that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.
- Teachers continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.
- Curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.
- See NCETM Teaching for Mastery for further details.
White Rose Planning materials are used to support the teaching of mathematics, and in Key Stage 1 we supplement these with resources from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), I see Reasoning, and NRich from Cambridge University.
We want maths to be as hands-on and interactive as possible. Children should use manipulatives (equipment) to support their understanding and learning, as explained in the paragraph below.
The National Curriculum for Mathematics states that:
The principal focus of mathematics teaching in key stage 1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This should involve working with numerals, words and the 4 operations, including with practical resources [for example, concrete objects and measuring tools].
At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Teaching should also involve using a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money.
By the end of year 2, pupils should know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis on practice at this early stage will aid fluency.
Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at key stage 1.
It is essential for your child to know their number bonds to (and within) ten as these make up the basis of a lot of the maths that we complete. Number bonds are the 2 numbers that you add together to make another number - 1+9=10 or 2+8=10 and so on.
Times Tables
By the end of Key Stage 1 (at the end of year 2) most pupils should know their 2, 5 and 10 times tables. Many will also know their 3 times tables.
When children are ready they join my "Times Tables Club" and spend an additional 10 minutes of maths every day working on their times tables. This is very popular with the children and they cannot wait for these sessions! If, for any reason, we have to miss a session, I get lots of grumbles and complaints from the children.
There are various ways to help support the learning of times tables at home, including different websites. BBC SuperMovers videos are great fun and are multisensory - they involve movement, guided dancing and singing which are proven to support children in their learning. You can access them here:
Finally, we have a school subscription to Times Tables Rockstars which is an excellent online resource and can be found here: Times Tables Rockstars
Please let us know if you cannot find your child's login details for this and we can print them again for you.