Maths
At King’s Oak, we use White Rose Maths to support pupils from EYFS to the end of Key Stage One.
Each year group follows specific themes to build a deep understanding of mathematical concepts, focusing on fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Lessons progress from concrete experiences (using physical objects) to pictorial representations (diagrams) and finally to abstract reasoning (symbols and numbers).
The White Rose curriculum emphasises mastery, ensuring children fully grasp each concept before moving on to more advanced topics and deepening their understanding.
Teachers guide students through varied practice, using a range of mathematical equipment and interactive resources to reinforce learning and apply problem-solving skills, not just in Mathematics but in other areas of the curriculum.
Pupils are introduced to subject-specific vocabulary related to the concepts they are learning and are actively encouraged to use it when explaining their thinking and demonstrating understanding.
Teachers incorporate regular assessment opportunities including verbal feedback, formative assessment and end of unit tests to monitor children’s progress and provide targeted feedback and support where needed.
Following the White Rose Maths framework ensures a clear, structured approach to teaching mathematics in our school, with a strong focus on building a solid foundation of skills and understanding
Additionally, we incorporate the Mastering Number program, developed by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), to further enhance our Maths curriculum.
Implementation
Mathematics is a core subject which is taught in every class. We provide children with the opportunity to access a range of different representations during their mathematics lessons. Children are given time to explore and investigate new methods taught and discovered within the class. We encourage children to talk about their learning to help them use their mathematical vocabulary and develop their mathematical thinking skills. During the course of the mathematics lessons, all children either work in small groups or individually, giving them the chance to learn collaboratively and independently. We follow the “White Rose” mathematics curriculum and engage with training and activities via local Maths’ Hubs.
EYFS are following the guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile for developing the foundations of their mathematical skills. They will be adopting the guidance for 2021 in September 2021. Details are within the class pages and the curriculum page for EYFS.
The links below give an insight into some of the learning opportunities your child will be exposed to whilst in the EYFS and that you can adopt and adapt for home.
https://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/maths-outdoors-in-early-years/
Key Stage 1
Key stage 1 (years 1 and 2) are currently following the new National Curriculum. The curriculum has a focus on three main aims, these being:
- Fluency – this is where children are able to use previously learned knowledge and apply it to new mathematical problems.
- Reasoning – this is where children are able to conjecture (talk) about relationships seen in mathematics, they are then able to develop an argument or justification about their learning using mathematical language.
- Problem solving – this is where children are able to apply all the skills that they have learnt in their mathematics lessons to problems to seek a solution.