Intent

At Manor Farm Junior School we believe that every child can achieve in mathematics and that it is our responsibility as teachers to provide the environment and experiences to make this possible. We believe every child can be a mathematician with the ability to reason and problem solve.

Our Maths curriculum is grounded in solid research and delivered through White Rose maths. This approach uses a Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) pedagogy. The rationale behind this pedagogy allows children to move objects around, touch and feel them, a vital element of developing the skill of visualisation. The manipulatives used are always appropriate to the intended learning in order to avoid misconceptions developing. The aim of this approach is to move children through the stages from concrete to abstract. The time this takes will be different for each child and should not be seen as linear. Children often move between the stages when new mathematical concepts and topics are introduced.

Every lesson starts with a 'daily review’/retrieval task consisting of learning which revisits previously learned skills to build fluency and automaticity. This approach provides opportunity for the deepening and reinforcement of mathematical understanding and allows children to link old and new learning together in order to develop fluency.

Opportunities for reasoning, explanation, and clarification are provided through talk and high-quality mathematical dialogue within the classroom. Teachers facilitate the lessons in order to make sure children are challenging their own thinking whilst broadening their understanding and knowledge. Questions planned for lessons develop in complexity from practising skills to application and problem solving in order for children to develop their curiosity. At Manor Farm Junior School we teach children a variety of methods to solve questions, but we believe in ‘learner agency’ and encourage children to select which mathematical approach they prefer to use and deem most efficient in different scenarios.

Maths is a journey and long-term goal, achieved through exploration, clarification, practice and application over time. At each stage of learning, children should be able to demonstrate a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic and be able to build on this over time.

99 Club

The 99 Club is a weekly competition designed to help children develop rapid recall of their times tables and related number facts in a fun and motivating way.  Pupils will work through difference clubs, starting with the 11 Club (11 questions) progressing up to the 99 Club (99 questions), before tackling our ultimate challenge: the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Clubs.

Please see the practice sheets below to help your child practice at home:

Multiplication Check

By the end of Year 4, pupils are expected to be confident with their times tables (up to 12 x 12) and are also encouraged to recognise the relationships between multiplication tables and division facts.