Maths

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Albert Einstein.

Mathematics is a core subject of the National Curriculum. It is given a high priority at Park View Academy. It is a tool for everyday life and it teaches children to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, to reason and to solve problems.

At Park View children develop the skills, confidence and competence with numbers, measures, geometry and statistics . They cultivate an understanding of the number system, a range of computational skills and the ability to solve number problems in a variety of contexts. Mathematics also demands practical understanding of measurement and graphs, diagrams, charts and tables. At the heart of our Mathematics is the ability to calculate mentally.

Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged with rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. We are encouraging all children to approach maths as deep, reasoned thinkers. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with basic skills are given opportunities to consolidate their understanding before moving on.

We use ‘White Rose’ and the ‘White Rose Hub’ progression maps to inform our teaching and planning, to ensure coverage of the national curriculum and to enable children to build on the skills they are learning year-on-year.

We also make use of the Dean Trust Calculation Policy (a step-by-step guide to the four operations) to inform our planning and ensure consistency across the school with the teaching of maths.

We are fully engaged in the NCETM Maths hub which supports our mathematical thinking, CPD and collaboration. In Reception and Key stage 1 we have embarked on the ‘Mastering number’ project. This project aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention will be given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.

Times Tables

At Park View Academy, we recognise that fluency with times tables underpins mathematical understanding. Knowing your times tables will help you more easily grasp a wide variety of other concepts such as division, fractions, and percentages.

Below is an outline of the National Curriculum times tables expectations for each year group:

Year 1 Count in multiples of 2, 5 and 10. Recall and use doubles of all numbers to 10 and corresponding halves.

Year 2 Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables.

Year 3 Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables.

Year 4 Recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 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.

Therefore, we would expect your child to know their 12 x 12 times tables before they leave Year 4, with Years 5 and 6 for consolidation and revision.

Please see below for our plan.

TT Rockstars is used to support the teaching of times tables at our school.  www.ttrockstars.com