Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School

Plaistow Hill Infant and Primary School

Everyday my daughter is very eager to tell me what she has learnt and is always excited to be going to school

Year 2 Parent

  • "Staff are kind, calm and encouraging - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "Children flourish in an environment of genuine warmth and care - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "Pupils in Key Stage 1 are confident, listen to each other, share and take turns - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "Parents and carers praise the work of the school - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "One parent expressed the view of many with the comment 'the atmosphere and attitude of all the staff is incredible' - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "The outdoor learning environment is used effectively to help children co-operate with each other and practise their number knowledge and skills - Ofsted, April 2022"
  • "Pupils are happy at Plaistow Hill Infant and Nursery School - Ofsted, April 2022"
Life at Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Life at Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Life at Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Life at Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Life at Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School

 

Mathematics

 

Intent: Why do we teach what we teach?

At Plaistow Hill Infant and Nursery School, our aim is to provide a comprehensive mathematics education that fosters confidence, fluency, and problem-solving skills in all our pupils. We follow the White Rose Maths scheme, which supports mastery learning and ensures that children build a deep understanding of mathematical concepts.

Key Features of the White Rose Maths Scheme

  • Structured Planning: Detailed curriculum overviews and lesson plans guide teachers in delivering high-quality maths education.
  • Problem-Solving Emphasis: Focus on problem-solving skills develops pupils' resilience and confidence in tackling mathematical challenges.
  • Cross-curricular Links: Opportunities to apply mathematical skills in other subjects enrich pupils' learning experiences.

Substantive Knowledge

  • Conceptual Understanding: Pupils develop a strong conceptual understanding of mathematical principles, including number sense, place value, and operations.
  • Problem-Solving Strategies: Pupils learn various strategies to solve mathematical problems, including real-world applications and puzzles that enhance their understanding.
  • Curriculum Structure: We follow the structured curriculum overview provided by White Rose Maths, which ensures progression and coherence in learning.

Practical Skills

  • Fluency and Automaticity: From Reception through Key Stage 2, we emphasize fluency and automatic recall of number bonds and times tables through structured programs.
  • Application in Context: Maths learning is enriched with real-world contexts and challenges, making mathematical concepts meaningful and accessible to all pupils.

Curiosity and Excitement

  • Purposeful Learning: Lessons are designed to show the relevance of maths in everyday life, sparking curiosity and engagement among pupils.
  • Problem-Solving Mindset: Pupils develop a positive mindset towards problem-solving, embracing challenges and applying mathematical skills creatively.

At Plaistow Hill, we are passionate about our children learning basic mathematical skills, as well as developing the ability to reason and problem solve as they are important to everyday life – both now and in the future. We aim for our children to be enthusiastic about their maths lessons, developing positive attitudes towards mathematics in order to foster self-confidence and a sense of achievement. This is taught through a rich, progressive and sequential maths curriculum which gives all of our pupils, the knowledge, experiences and ‘cultural capital’ necessary to become educated citizens and to succeed in life. We aim to provide high quality mathematical learning experiences in order to develop children’s mathematical skills and understanding and develop the children’s abilities to use maths in the ‘real world’. We do this at a minimum by covering the aims of the National Curriculum for maths, which ensure that all pupils:

  • 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 and the ability 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.

 

Implementation: What do we teach and when?

  • White Rose Maths Scheme: We follow the comprehensive planning structure provided by White Rose Maths, which includes detailed lessons and resources that support teaching and learning.
  • Progression and Recapitulation: The curriculum is sequenced to build on prior knowledge, with regular opportunities to revisit and embed key concepts from previous years.
  • NCETM Mastering Number and Times Tables Programmes: These structured programs in Reception and Key Stage 2 respectively enhance fluency and automaticity in key mathematical skills.

Examples of Implementation

  • Early Years and Key Stage 1: Pupils develop foundational skills in number sense and basic operations through interactive and play-based learning activities.
  • Lower Key Stage 2: Pupils progress to more complex mathematical concepts, such as fractions and decimals, using manipulatives and practical resources to support understanding.
  • Upper Key Stage 2: Pupils apply their mathematical knowledge to solve multi-step problems and real-life scenarios, preparing them for secondary school mathematics.

At Plaistow Hill, we believe that all children can be successful in the study of mathematics. In order to achieve mastery, our expectation is that through quality first teaching, all our children will successfully access the learning. We expect the vast majority of pupils to move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, for children who lack fluency, we provide opportunities to consolidate their understanding through additional scaffolding (this could be through adult support, concrete resources or adapted work).

We understand the importance of basic skills in maths and emphasise the need for the children to be confident solving calculation questions and to be able to use known facts to solve questions effectively. As well as this, we believe that it is extremely important that all children are taught explicitly how to reason with mathematics and solve reasoning questions. 

From Foundation through to Year 6, children are taught explicit skills that they will be expected to use. Teachers will model to the children how to use their oracy skills to help them to develop their ability to reason and sentence stems will be modelled to help the children to answer questions.   

At Plaistow Hill, we use a range of documents to support planning. For the long-term plans, we use the White Rose Overviews and Schemes of Learning - this ensures that the National Curriculum is covered across the year and where the objectives will be taught is clear. In order to avoid cognitive overload and to support the children’s retention and recall. The learning is  ‘spaced’ meaning the children visit topics frequently whilst ensuring progression and small steps through the year. Short term planning will be in the form of flip charts which follow our school’s standardised proforma.     

To ensure that the children are appropriately challenged, teachers create a range of questions using a range of contexts. These will include fluency challenges, varied fluency, reasoning questions, problem solving questions and ‘Deepening’ challenges presented to children in different ways to demonstrate their understanding. Each child’s needs will be carefully thought about and scaffolds will be put in place to ensure that the quality first teaching is accessible to all.

Times tables will be practised regularly in the classrooms and for homework from year 2 upwards. All children from Year 2 have a Times Tables Rockstars account for use at home and within school. The aim is for all pupils to be confident with all the times table facts by the end of year 4. Children in the younger years have access to Numbots both within school and for home learning. This is used to help them practise the 20 key skills through playing fun games.

Children in the Early Years experience practical mathematics daily through the environment which supports the continuous provision both inside and outside. The number areas and mud kitchen/splash zone outside support the children's mathematical language development, therefore, children playing outside are often immersed in mathematical play. Alongside this, number songs are an integral part of maths in the Early Years, building children’s repertoire through high engagement. This provision is complemented with adult directed maths sessions which build on children’s knowledge and skills across all aspects of maths: number; numerical patterns and shape, space and measure. Children have endless opportunities to practise, revisit and consolidate skills and develop their mathematical interests. Careful observation and assessment are used to inform future planning.

 

Impact: How children show that they know and remember more

  • Assessment: Regular formative assessment ensures that teachers monitor progress and tailor teaching to meet individual needs.
  • Mastery Approach: Pupils demonstrate mastery of mathematical concepts through application in varied contexts, showing depth of understanding.
  • Preparation for Assessments: Key Stage 2 pupils prepare for the Year 4 times table check with structured times tables practice, ensuring readiness for assessments.

Our mathematics curriculum, supported by the White Rose Maths scheme, ensures that all pupils at Plaistow Hill Infant and Nursery School develop a strong foundation in mathematics, preparing them for future learning and success. Through a mastery approach and engaging learning experiences, we aim for every child to become a confident mathematician equipped with essential skills for life.

Children across the school have positive attitudes towards their learning in maths and make good progress; they enjoy maths lessons and become confident and successful learners who can achieve regardless of their starting points. Teachers will use a range of formative and summative assessment in maths to assess the children’s understanding and what they need to do next.  During the lesson, through live marking, questioning and tasks, teachers will check that the children have understood the concept and can apply it to different question types.  The teachers and teaching assistants will assess the pupils’ achievements against the ‘Can I’. 

Throughout the year, teachers will revisit concepts they have already covered using the ‘Flashback’ materials from White Rose, which will support the children’s retrieval skills. The children will practise key skills and concepts through different topics and at the end of each term, the children will complete HeadStart testing (years 2-6) and practise SATs style assessments in year 2 and 6.  These test results, along with the work and assessment from the term, will inform teacher assessment against the National Curriculum objectives. 

 

Please click here to access our calculations policy

Please click here to access our LAT maths support videos for all year groups

Useful Web Links

BBC Bitesize maths - links to lots of maths games

ICT games - more games to play online

Crickweb - more maths games

Nrich - Lots of Fun Maths Problems developed by Cambridge University

Dice Games - A link to part of the NRich site, with lots of dice games for KS1