Maths at Ropery Walk School
At Ropery Walk Primary School, mathematics is taught discretely in a daily lesson as well as forming part of a lesson in other subject areas. We aim to provide a mathematical curriculum that contributes to the acquisition of life-long skills and promotes enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning through practical activity, exploration and discussion. We believe that Mathematics at Ropery Walk Primary should be creative and engaging. It should be presented through a context which is meaningful and stimulating for all children at their own level. Children should be confidently able to apply their skills and knowledge to imaginatively solve problems. Lessons include whole class, group, paired and individual work. Problem solving and reasoning are an important part of every lesson. Learning through a clear progression of mental and written methods, children develop understanding and the skills to carry out calculations independently.
‘I love maths because my teacher makes it fun and interesting and I find it easy.’ Jack
Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Aims
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all 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 mathematics 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
Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
White Rose Maths
At Ropery Walk Primary we follow the White Rose Maths approach to teaching mathematics.
In our teaching of mathematics at Ropery Walk Primary School we hope to:
- inculcate an enjoyment and love of maths
- enable pupils to have opportunities for mathematical thinking and discussion
- provide opportunities for pupils to demonstrate and use their mathematics,
- provide a role-model by using mathematics for practical purposes, organisational and administrative tasks
- give pupils opportunities to use mathematics in everyday situations
- help pupils to understand that mathematics is a powerful tool for communication
- instill confidence at using mathematics
- help pupils to be unafraid of and to be able to use new technology
- help pupils recognise that mathematics is a search for pattern and relationship
- instill a fascination for mathematics and the manipulation of numbers
- encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning.
Click below to see each year groups Long Term Plan (LTP)
Click below on each year group to see an overview of the maths curriculum for each year group
EYFS
Year One
Year 1 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 1 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 1 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
Year Two
Year 2 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 2 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 2 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
Year Three
Year 3 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 3 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 3 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
Year Four
Year 4 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 4 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 4 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
Year Five
Year 5 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 5 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 5 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
Year Six
Year 6 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Autumn
Year 6 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Spring
Year 6 Scheme of Learning Small Steps Summer
How WRM links to the Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum and how it progresses through topics
National Curriculum and Ready to Progress mapping
Ropery Walk’s Calculation Policies
WRM addition and subtraction calculation policy
WRM multiplication and division calculation policy
Ropery Walk’s Vocabulary Progression Document
White Rose Maths Vocabulary Progression
Times Tables
Times tables form the basis of all of our work in mathematics. Therefore it is vital that children have RAPID recall of ALL times tables facts and the corresponding division facts for their relevant year group. At Ropery Walk Primary School in KS1 children play Numbots and in KS2 children play TTRS.
In June, year 4 participates in a Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will help our school to identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided.
At Ropery Walk Primary School, 93% of children obtained 23+/25 in the Multiplication Tables Check in June 2024.
2024_Information_for_parents_Multiplication_tables_check
Expectations for times tables for each year group
Year 1 | Count, in multiples of 2, 5 and 10. Recall and use all doubles to 10 and corresponding halves. |
Year 2 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables including recognising odd and even numbers. |
Year 3 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables. |
Year 4 | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables 12 x 12. |
Year 5 | Revision of all times tables and division facts up to 12 x 12. |
Year 6 | Revision of all times tables and division facts up to 12 x 12. |
Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs)
KIRFs are the ‘Key Instant Recall Facts’ that children need to be secure in during their primary years. They include facts such as number bonds and times tables. They are particularly useful when calculating, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing but also underpin many other areas of mathematics. For example, in order to find equivalent fractions in Year 6, children need to be able to rapidly recall their knowledge of common multiples. When children have quick access to a bank of facts, which incurs little cost to working memory, they have more capacity to think about more complex problems that draw on these facts. Without regular rehearsal, these facts are forgotten so it is essential they are practised regularly and embedded in children’s long-term memory so they can be recalled quickly and accurately.
As part of the School Improvement Plan for Maths, we have developed KIRFs based on White Rose Maths.
Overview of Key Instant Recall Facts (8)
Every half term, your child will be set a new KIRF. In school, earning the KIRFs shouldn’t be time-consuming. The KIRF will be their focus for that half term. The most important thing is facilitating regular practice. Little and often will support the children in retaining these facts for the long term. The KIRF well then be assessed three times that half term, this is to see whether the KIRF is being retained.
Useful Websites
Children make progress best as mathematicians when they regularly repeat skills and practise them until they become embedded. This can be quite a long process sometimes, and so the use of the context of an exciting game or interesting activity can be highly motivating. In our experience, our children learn best when they are having fun and that’s what games are for!
- White Rose Maths Parent Page
- The School Run website
- Primary Games website
- BBC Bitesize website
- Topmarks website
Support for Parents
Maths with Michael – Information for Parents
This link will take you to a series of videos exploring a number of areas of mathematics and how they are taught in our school today. They are intended to support parents in understanding the mathematics that their children learn in school.
Free Printable Workbooks
These books go hand in hand with the units we are teaching in maths in school. You could use them for some extra homework for your child, or to help get an understanding of the types of questions and skills they are developing.