Maths

At Bingham Primary School we firmly believe that a strong foundation in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics will open up the breadth of the wider curriculum for all our learners.

Children are the most successful learners when their curriculum is sequenced into a logical order that teaches what they need to know in the order they need to know it. If this is done well, children build a secure foundation and over time they will know more and remember more. If the sequence is strong, there is less likelihood that they will have gaps in their learning and more likely to be able to achieve their potential.

We have chosen to follow the White Rose Maths planning sequence. This clearly sets out the journey they need to take in all areas of maths to be able to cover the subject knowledge they need to meet, and hopefully exceed, the national expectation for the end of primary school.

When children start in Year 1 they will have already had in Reception year the high quality early maths learning experiences that they need to be able to meet the early learning goals. As a result of this, they are ready to start the national curriculum.

White Rose chunks the threads of mathematics into units of work across the year to make sure that all the areas are covered properly.

Alongside the curriculum content we will plan lessons that encourage all our learners to explore mathematical concepts through solving problems, applying strategies in real life contexts and learning to be confident manipulators of numbers. We will place high value on mental maths skills, learning key number facts such as tables and number bonds and we will aim to use these across other areas of the curriculum in subjects such as science, technology and computing.

Wherever possible we will encourage children to use mathematical equipment such as counting rods, place value rods and support aids to help them really understand the numbers they are using as the first step to learning how to manipulate numbers confidently. As they become more fluent in their number work, they will move away from using these resources.

It is our aim that all our children enjoy maths and feel able to approach it with confidence and without fear.

Curriculum coverage for the year for each of the classes:

Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs)

Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs) are the foundation of fluency in maths. They are particularly useful for calculations and are a solution to children relying on inefficient methods such as counting on fingers or drawing hundreds of dots. The instant recall of facts helps incredibly with mental agility in mathematics and knowing these key facts is crucial when children move onto written calculations and abstract methods.

For children to become more efficient in recalling them easily, they need to be practised frequently and in short bursts. Because of this, each year group has been allocated six focuses throughout the year (in line with the National Curriculum and age-related expectations) with the expectation that these skills be consistently practised at home, alongside lessons at school, to embed key knowledge and ensure children become more confident and fluent with number. Progress against each KIRF will be monitored every Friday during maths lessons.