Intent
At Whitley Park, we believe a solid understanding of mathematics is essential for exploring and understanding the world around us. Our intention is to provide an ambitious curriculum which focusses on developing deep understanding, flexibility and number fluency in all pupils so they can apply their skills to the wider world with confidence.
At our school, we aim to develop confident, curious mathematicians who think mathematically and enjoy solving problems. Our curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in number fluency, with a particular focus on the quick and accurate recall of number bonds and multiplication and division facts. We believe that fluency in these key areas allows children to approach more complex problems with confidence and efficiency.
To deepen understanding, we use a wide range of manipulatives and visual representations. These hands-on tools help children to grasp mathematical concepts more concretely, enabling them to make connections and truly understand the 'why' behind the methods they use. By combining fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving, we ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed in mathematics and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Implementation
At Whitley Park, we use White Rose Maths as our core teaching spine and compliment this with other resources to ensure that every child develops a secure and adaptable understanding of number and mathematical concepts. Our lessons provide a coherent, small-step teaching progression whilst promoting mathematical thinking, encouraging discussion and embedding key skills. Manipulatives are a key part of our teaching at Whitley Park to ensure children have a thorough understanding of concepts they learn and to help embed learning.
Children have five one-hour maths lessons a week, with each of these starting with number fluency questions. This allows children to frequently revisit prior learning and develop their fluency with number, enabling them to then apply this when problem-solving.
Mastering Number
We place a strong emphasis on children securing number fluency, with children having four 15-minute mental maths lessons per week which are taught through the ‘Mastering Number Programme’ in Years 1-5. Mastering Number consolidates learning and promotes flexibility with number. These sessions enable pupils to revisit key concepts, strengthen understanding and gain confidence through the use of carefully structured teaching steps and sentence stems designed to underpin their explanation and understanding.
Times Tables
We recognise that children being fluent in quick recall of their multiplication and division facts enables them to successfully access the Maths curriculum. Children have 4 15-minute lessons a week focussed on number facts including times table and division facts in line with their year group expectations. These regular lessons play a key role in helping pupils develop rapid, accurate recall of mathematical facts. Our intention is that this automaticity reduces cognitive load during problem-solving – allowing children to instead focus on reasoning and applying their understanding. These interventions ensure that all learners, regardless of starting point, have the opportunity to strengthen their number sense and thrive in maths.
Assessment
At our school, assessment is an integral part of everyday teaching and learning. Teachers use Assessment for Learning strategies to check that children have understood new concepts and can confidently apply their knowledge in different situations.
Each term, we use PIXL tests to track pupils’ progress and identify any gaps in their learning. This helps us see where further teaching or extra practice may be needed to support every child’s success.
As part of our number fluency work, we also assess times tables and number fluency weekly. These results are carefully tracked so we can provide additional support for children who may need more practice. Parents receive updates on their child’s progress in this area every half term.