Maths

Our Aim

At The Blue School, we want every child to fall in love with maths and feel proud of their success. We help our pupils become confident, fluent mathematicians who can quickly recall number facts to solve everyday problems with ease.

Using a supportive ‘Teaching for Mastery’ approach, we explore different mathematical concepts so children truly understand the “why” behind the numbers, building their independence step by step. We place a big focus on communication, encouraging children to speak like mathematicians and explain their thinking with confidence. Our vision is to give children practical, lifelong problem-solving skills that will serve them brilliantly both in school and in the wider world.

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our curriculum.  Parents of Blue School pupils are provided with detailed guides to subject planning in the form of ‘Knowledge Organisers’ in Parent Zone.

Our Mastery Approach

Every day in our classrooms, maths comes alive through fun, lively and interactive whole-class teaching. We believe that every child can succeed in maths, which is why the whole class explores new ideas together at a similar pace. We provide plenty of hands on support and tools, while challenging quick learners with deep, thought provoking tasks that get them thinking critically.

Every lesson is part of a carefully sequenced journey that connects new ideas directly to what the children already know. Our long term planning is aligned with the White Rose Maths scheme, although we are working with our local Maths Hub to adapt our approach to include research from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM).

We place equal value on understanding how maths works (conceptual thinking) and being able to do it quickly (procedural fluency). To bring maths to life, we use lots of concrete objects, visual models and clear mathematical vocabulary so children can easily explain their thinking. 

Supporting Maths at Home

Building Blocks: What Your Child Needs to Know (Declarative Knowledge)

In school, we work hard on core number facts and vocabulary so they become second nature. When things like times tables are automatic, it frees up valuable brainpower for children to tackle exciting learning challenges without feeling overwhelmed.

How you can help at home:

  • Master the Vocabulary: Encourage your child to speak like a mathematician. Use precise language at home, discussing terms like digits, regrouping, place value, shapes and fractions.
  • Practice the Facts: Use a car journey to quiz your child on their core number facts and times tables to build rapid, confident recall.

Hands-On Practice: How We Do Maths (Procedural Knowledge)

Maths comes alive in our classrooms through a vibrant mix of interactive learning. 

How you can help at home:

  • Get Practical: When counting, adding or subtracting, use physical objects around the house like pasta pieces, LEGO bricks, buttons or coins. Hands on tools build immense confidence.
  • Draw It Out: Encourage your child to draw pictures or grid models, as they do in class, to help visualise a problem before trying to write down the final numbers.
  • Learn Together: Encourage your child to talk through homework problems out loud with you.

Critical Thinking: When & Why We Use Maths (Conditional Knowledge)

True mastery means giving children the tools to think critically, spot gaps and know exactly which mathematical strategy to use when faced with a problem.

How you can help at home:

  • Spot Maths Everywhere: Connect numbers to the world around them. Weave maths into daily life by asking your child to help calculate change at the shops, scale up recipe ingredients or read timings on a timetable.
  • Connect to Other Passions: Help children see how numbers connect to their other favorite activities, whether that is spotting geometric patterns in art or measuring distances and scores in sport.

Useful websites / information with ideas for deepening understanding:

Our curriculum is coherently sequenced from EYFS to Year 6 using White Rose Maths.

We are working with our local Maths Hub to integrate NCETM Spines.

Our calculation policy follows the White Rose calculation policy.  

Interventions such as Plus 1 and Power of 2 are directly linked to class teaching.

Children are challenged with reasoning problems from https://nrich.maths.org/primary

Atom Home provides children with video tutorials and test resources. This is free to children in receipt of pupil premium funding of targeted free school meals.  

EYFS

At the end of the early years foundation stage, children will be able to compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or equal to the other quantity. They will also acquire a deeper understanding of the structure and patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, doubles, and how quantities can be distributed equally. 

Key Stage 1

During key stage one, children will develop their learning in a variety of different units within the curriculum. They will be able to use place value and number facts to solve problems, as well as read and write numbers to at least 100 in numerals and words. They will also be able to solve problems involving multiplication and division, using materials, arrays, repeated addition, mental methods, and multiplicative facts, including problems in contexts. They will develop skills to calculate mathematical statements for multiplication and division within the multiplication tables and write them using the multiplication (×), division (÷) and equals (=) signs. They will explore calculation strategies such as how to add and subtract numbers mentally, including: a two-digit number and ones; a two-digit number and tens; adding three one-digit numbers.

Lower Key Stage 2

During lower key stage two, the children will further deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts, operations and fluency. They will be able to add and subtract numbers with up to 4 digits using the formal written methods of columnar addition and subtraction where appropriate; estimate and use inverse operations to check answers to a calculation; solve addition and subtraction two-step problems in context, deciding which operations and methods to use and why. They will explore fractions and be able to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator; recognise mixed numbers and improper fractions; and convert from one form to the other and write mathematical statements. In measurement they will learn to use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length, mass, volume and time from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to three decimal places. In geometry, the children will recognise that shapes with the same areas can have different perimeters and vice versa; recognise when it is possible to use formulae for area and volume of shapes. For position and direction, they will be able to describe positions on a 2-D grid as coordinates in the first quadrant.

Upper Key Stage 2

In key stage two, the children secure and develop their understanding of mathematical concepts across all units. In the unit of integers and decimals, they will be able to round numbers, make estimates and use this to solve problems in context, as well as solve multi-step problems involving addition and subtraction. They will develop the operational skills to divide integers by 1-digit and 2-digit numbers representing remainders appropriately, whilst being able to illustrate and explain formal multiplication and division strategies. They will be introduced to the use of brackets and use knowledge of the order of operations to carry out calculations. In geometry they will be able to draw a range of shapes using given dimensions and angles, and describe, translate and reflect shapes on a coordinate plane. Furthering their understanding of fractions, they will be able to multiply two proper fractions and divide a fraction by an integer. Statistically, they will learn to connect percentages with fractions; explore the equivalence of fractions, decimals and percentages; calculate the mean; and construct and interpret line graphs and pie charts.