Maths

Mathematics at Bidbury Junior School

At Bidbury, we have high expectations for all of our children and believe that they can achieve highly and become confident and skilled mathematicians. We strive for all children to be curious about mathematics and to understand the importance of mathematics in their everyday lives. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. Our programme of study is organised carefully so that children can build on their skills and knowledge.

Our mathematics curriculum aims for pupils to become fluent in the fundamentals of maths and provides children with rich mathematical experiences. It is built on the key aims of the National Curriculum which are to ensure that all learners:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

We encourage pupils to make significant links between mathematics as a discreet subject and using their mathematical knowledge in other subjects, as well as within real life problems. Bidbury Junior School works with the Solent Maths Hub and we currently follow the White Rose Mathematics scheme of work. This is followed from Year 3 to Year 6 and aids transition as the children move on in their learning journeys through the school. 

Our Maths Vision for Bidbury

In line with the aims of the National Curriculum for Mathematics, we aim to ensure that all children gain:

• a deep and sustainable learning in mathematics which they are able to apply to a range of contexts
• develop a wide mathematical vocabulary to justify and reason
• the ability to build on previous knowledge
• the ability to reason about a concept and make connections
• a sound procedural and conceptual understanding
• fluency with number
• an ability to solve complex problems by breaking them down into smaller steps and showing resilience

It is our intention that by the time the children leave Bidbury they will be naturally, confident and fluent mathematicians. They will be curious learners and eager to explore mathematical concepts and ask questions to find solutions to problems in both school and the wider world. We at Bidbury want to enable all children to develop an intrinsic love of maths that will support them through their life journey.

National Curriculum - Lower key stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

• The principal focus of mathematics teaching in lower key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. This should ensure that pupils develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers.
• At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. Teaching should also ensure that pupils draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. It should ensure that they can use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number.
• By the end of year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work.
• Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

National Curriculum - Upper key stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

• The principal focus of mathematics teaching in upper key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. This should develop the connections that pupils make between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio.
• At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation. With this foundation in arithmetic, pupils are introduced to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems. Teaching in geometry and measures should consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number. Teaching should also ensure that pupils classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and that they learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.
• By the end of year 6, pupils should be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.
• Pupils should read, spell and pronounce mathematical vocabulary correctly. 

White Rose Maths frameworks

White Rose teaches children mathematical concepts through pictorial, practical and written methods in order to develop a deep understanding, confidence and competence in Maths and improve fluency. Fluency in Maths is about developing number sense and being able to choose and use the most appropriate method for the task at hand and be able to apply a skill to multiple contexts. The scheme follows a teaching for mastery approach and uses Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) to support the children with their learning. Our programme of study is taught in manageable steps which allows pupils to progress through the curriculum at the same pace and also allows, where possible, children to make accelerated progress. Children revisit previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures to make sure that their mathematical knowledge becomes deeply embedded, increasing their maths confidence. Those pupils behind age-related expectations are provided with the opportunities to learn the mathematical knowledge and skills that are necessary to keep up with their peers.

The White Rose Maths resources and schemes of learning outline yearly frameworks that break down what children need to learn during each week of each term to master the learning objectives laid out by the National Curriculum.  For more information, please see the year group maths pages below.

Maths programmes of study for each year group