Maths
At Hackness and Wykeham Church of England Schools, we aim for children to become fluent in arithmetic across the four operations, using secure mental and written strategies. We want children to see mathematics as a connected subject, using what they know to reason, make conjectures, and solve problems. Our learners are encouraged to be resilient, embrace challenge, and develop a deep, lasting understanding of mathematical concepts. To achieve this, we use White Rose Maths mixed age planning so that all children access the same input within their mixed age class, with tailored questions to ensure they access age-related curriculum content across fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. Scaffolding and challenge ensure progression between year groups so that children deepen their knowledge over time.
For more information about progression, coverage and sequencing of content in our mixed age content, see our long term plan.
For each mathematical topic, key vocabulary, definitions and strategies are displayed on working walls to support children's learning appropriately. Practical resources are at the centre of our teaching strategies, utilising concrete, pictorial and progressing to abstract resources. Misconceptions/areas for development are identified quickly and addressed through different strategies including pre-teach and catchup.
Time tables and developing mental fluency
Times tables play a key role in becoming a confident and proficient mathematician. As a school we have selected a systematic times table pedagogy using the Clare Christie approach which breaks tables down into small steps with regular opportunities for over-learning. These are 10 minute daily sessions taught separately from the main Maths lesson.
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, children follow the Mastering Number programme. In Reception, this is the primary approach to teaching mathematics. For information on Maths in EYFS, please see our EYFS page. In Year 1 and Year 2, Mastering Number is in addition to the daily Maths lessons and focuses on children's conceptual understanding of number, enabling them to build secure mental models to draw upon when calculating.
We also use Times Table Rockstars and other ICT programmes to support mathematics learning in school and at home and encourage parents to support maths learning at home by involving them in everyday activities. We also encourage parents not to underestimate themselves, or the power they have as a parent getting involved in their child’s learning.