Children at Bevington are able to use maths to calculate fluently and efficiently, reason mathematically and use and apply their maths knowledge in a wide range of real-life problems. Maths is essential to everyday life and necessary to nearly all forms of employment, particularly in science, technology and engineering. Because of this, in addition to daily maths lessons, maths is integrated into all STEM topics, where children use and apply their maths skills within engaging STEM projects. We promote our Bevington values within all maths lessons. Children are encouraged and are taught to be determined and resilient problem solvers within maths and STEM lessons.
Our Approach to Maths
Maths lessons at Bevington are fast-paced, exciting and fun. Teachers place equal importance on providing support to ensure learning objectives are met as they do ensuring pupils have opportunities to extend their learning at a greater depth. Pupils are expected to acquire or consolidate a new skill; reason their understanding; as well as apply their understanding daily. Pupils at Bevington have access to a wide range of resources to ensure they are able to gain deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts. As pupil’s conceptual understanding develops the use of resources is reduced.
Multiplication Tables
Multiplication tables underpin and are used in almost all areas of maths. By at least the end of year 4, children are expected to be able to retrieve multiplication and division facts from the multiplication tables up to 12 x 12 and are formally assessed on this at the end of year 4. All teachers help children to learn their multiplication tables in school through mental maths activities in maths lessons, using maths resources and games, as well as providing children with opportunities to practise multiplication tables as part of their weekly homework.
Representation
When working through problems in context, children are encouraged to use a pictorial representation of the problem or concept in order to support them in forming a calculation strategy. While the children can use any visual representation, the children will be taught how to use the bar model to represent a problem, where bars or boxes are used to represent the known and unknown quantities.
Mental Fluency
Children are encouraged to use mental fluency strategies in calculation where appropriate in order to promote efficiency, accuracy and flexibility when working through a problem in context. Fluency strategies appropriate to the child’s year group are embedded into maths lessons by being modelled by teachers and by children explaining their own working out and method. When working on a calculation, children will decide whether a written or mental strategy is more efficient and appropriate to use.
Resources
At Bevington, it is essential that children understand why and how mathematical methods work. This helps our children use and apply maths skills within their learning. Resources, such as dienes equipment and fraction fans, are used in maths lessons at every opportunity to help children visualise mathematical concepts and to deepen their understanding of the maths involved in a problem. Pupils are then moved on to visual and abstract concepts.
Progression
Please find the progression map for Maths at Bevington below. This map details the skills and knowledge pupils are taught in each year through the school.
Calculation
All staff follow the written calculation policy to ensure that calculation is taught consistently throughout the school. Children are taught the steps of mental and written calculation at the stage that is appropriate to their level of ability, with an emphasis on accuracy and efficiency. Rather than grouping calculations by year group, pupils should move through the calculation strategies when they are secure. By the end of Year 6, all pupil should be proficient in all formal written calculation methods.
Our calculations policy can be found here: