At Swillington Primary School, we strive to find everyone’s talent as Mathematicians. We use White Rose Maths to support our teaching and learning. We believe that every child can and should achieve. Maths is integral to all aspects of life and all careers – we imagine the possibilities so that children become positive and enthusiastic towards mathematics with skills which will stay with them into their futures. Mathematics equips pupils with the uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. These tools include logical reasoning, problem solving skills and the ability to think in abstract ways.
We have some great video clips here to help you understand how we teach concepts- https://mathsnoproblem.com/en/parent-videos
In order to make Maths achievable for all children, curriculum progression is designed to build on prerequisite knowledge and developmental progression. Connections are made between areas of Maths; vocabulary is made explicit and core representations and manipulatives support all children and highlight the mathematical concept through a continuous concrete, pictorial, abstract approach.
The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure all pupils:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they are efficient in using and selecting the appropriate written algorithms and mental methods, underpinned by mathematical concepts;
- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios;
- can reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
In lessons, we will provide a range of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving activities so that children can apply and deepen their understanding of the basic skills. This enables the children to develop a positive attitude towards Maths and to develop the resilience and confidence needed so that they can work independently.
Curriculum Progression: across school we use core representations, progression and the development of deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
Core facts and strategies: reviewed regularly to be cohort specific with key features of facts and multiplication tables.
Times Table Rockstars
All children at Swillington Primary School have access to Times Table Rockstars. Remember that each time they go on and play, the children will earn points on their homework grids!
Goal
When it comes to times tables, speed AND accuracy are important – the more facts your child remembers, the easier it is for them to do harder calculations.
Times Table Rock Stars is a fun and challenging programme designed to help students master the times tables!
To be a Times Table Rock Star you need to answer any multiplication fact up to 12×12 in less than 3 seconds!
For more information on the types of games and how they work, and much more, download a copy of the TTRockstars Parent Guide which can be found below.
Stats
If you click on your avatar icon in the top right of the screen and then click My Stats, a heatmap like the one below will load. It shows how successful your child is at each of the facts which gives you a clear view of what to keep practising.
In Year 4, children are assessed on the multiplications which they know by completing a Multiplication Table Check (MTC)
TTRS is perfect practice for this as well as the below websites:
Numbots
From the same creators of Times Tables Rock Stars, NumBots is an online platform for boosting addition and subtraction skills.
NumBots is an online game and playing little and often will significantly improve your child’s recall and understanding of number bonds and addition and subtraction facts - these are critical foundations in Maths. In order to get the best out of NumBots, children should regularly play for short bursts so we recommend at least 5 minutes each day. Remember that each time they go on and play, the children will earn points on their homework grids!
