The National Curriculum states that maths is a subject that is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

Barley Close Intent

Whatever your age, there are few subjects from school that create as many emotions as maths does. The feelings that many adults have about maths can often be traced back to their school days. Fear of getting an answer wrong; a blind panic when faced with 7 x 8; never really understanding how to multiply fractions – speak to many adults and that is what they remember. That isn’t what we want for the children that come to Barley Close. When they leave us, we want them to be able to face the world confident in their mathematical abilities and able to live in the modern world. We want them to look back on their maths lessons without the fear that many of their parents have. 

For this, you need solid foundations and so we offer a maths curriculum that teaches them what they need to know, at the level they need to know, in a way that makes sure they can move forward and feel confident in being able to use the skills they have – both now, during the rest of their time with us and when they go out into the wider world.

Barley Close Implementation

We believe that the children of Barley Close deserve to have a maths curriculum that places their needs at the very heart of it. Although we work in collaboration with other local schools and maths advisers to make sure that we are offering the highest quality lessons, teachers are actively encouraged to personalise lessons and activities to fit the needs of the children in their class. 

Reception

In Reception, children are working towards achieving their Early Learning Goals (ELG) in Number and Numerical Patterns. They take part in both child and adult initiated activities and are encouraged to use resources to aid their learning, as well as written work. 

Years 1 - 6

In Years 1 - 6, teachers plan lessons based on the aims of the National Curriculum. These aims focus on:

• fluency - children are given regular opportunities to develop their understanding of all aspects of maths, so that they gain a deep understanding of the subject and are able to remember and use their knowledge quickly and accurately.
• reasoning - children then extend their knowledge and understanding, through explaining their answers, using mathematical facts and language. E.g. 'I know that 97 is a larger number than 52, because 97 has 9 tens and 52 has 5 tens'.
• problem solving - children are encouraged to apply the knowledge they have, to solve a variety of word problems and puzzles, which will involve breaking problems down into smaller chunks and persevering to find a solution.

Children in all year groups have the chance to improve their fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills, through activities that link together the different areas of maths. 

As a school, we talk about having a mastery approach to maths. Mastery seeks to show children 'why' and 'how' mathematical concepts work, rather than just learning facts and tricks to get the answers right. We focus on children gaining a deep understanding of what they are being asked to do, rather than learning a skill quickly and moving onto the next one. We deliver a curriculum that encourages children to explain their thinking, which should also improve their confidence and understanding of the subject.

Maths Lessons

In Years 1 - 6, children have daily maths lessons that focus on the following areas of Maths:

• Number and Place Value
• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication and Division
• Fractions (Years 1 - 3), Fractions and Decimals (Year 4), Fractions, Decimals and Percentages (Year 5 & 6)
• Measures (including time)
• Geometry - Shape
• Geometry - Position
• Statistics (Years 2 - 6 only)
• Ratio & Proportion (Year 6 only)
• Algebra (Year 6 only)

Children also have regular arithmetic sessions, that focus on:

• addition
• subtraction
• multiplication
• division
• fractions
• percentages (Year 5 and 6 only)

There is a clear progression through the school, that uses previous knowledge to build on new knowledge. Lessons are planned to make sure children are able to access them at the level they are working at. 

Mental Maths

Times Tables

In Years 2, 3 4 and 5, we use the Funkey Maths Programme to teach multiplication facts. In Years 4 - 6, we use the web-based programme 'Times Table Rockstars', which focuses on children learning multiplication and division facts in depth, to make sure they are able to recall them accurately. All children in Years 2 - 6 are given a TTRS log in to be able to access the programme at home to build on knowledge taught in class. 

Barley Close Impact

All children will develop an understanding of how useful Maths is throughout everyday life; be able to make links between the different areas of Maths; receive a maths education that inspires and encourages them to be curious and are able to leave us at the end of Year 6, confident and proud of their mathematical abilities.  

Maths at Home

 Children in Years 2 - 6 are able to access Times Table Rockstars via tablets, phones, laptops or PCs. Children in Years 2 - 6 are expected to spend at least 25 minutes a week on TTRS.

Children in Years 1 - 6 are able to access MyMaths via tablets, phones and laptops. Children in KS1 are expected to complete one activity a week on MyMaths and children in KS2 should complete at least two MyMaths activities. These activities will be set by their class teacher. 

Log in details for both of these programmes will be provided by your child's teacher.

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