Maths

The national curriculum emphasises the importance of all children mastering mathematics. The essential idea of mastery mathematics is that all children need a deep understanding of the maths they learn so that future maths concepts are built on solid foundations. At St John the Baptist school we teach a mastery maths curriculum and believe that with good teaching, effort and a ‘go for it’ attitude all children can achieve and enjoy maths.

Maths is a real ‘marmite’ subject. Some love it and some hate it. I’ve frequently heard adults say, “Oh I could never do Maths at school – in fact I still can’t.” At SJB we believe there is no such thing as a Maths person – Maths is a subject everyone can learn. Our vision for Maths is for every child to be fluent in Maths and to be confident to apply their Maths knowledge to different situations.

In order to achieve this vision, we follow a mastery approach to Maths using the White Rose Scheme of Learning. The learning each year lays the foundation for the next years learning to be built on. Children learn together, at the same pace. Children use concrete objects such as counters and numercon to help them learn new concepts before connecting these ideas to pictures and finally to the symbols we connect with Maths.

In order to support your child with their Maths learning there are a few simple things you can do. First, have a positive attitude. You don’t have to love Maths, just don’t let your child know that! You can help them learn their number bonds and times tables. There are lots of apps and games online that can help with this too. You can also play card games, let them use real money when buying things in shops, encourage them to read bus/train time tables and have real, everyday conversations about Maths and why it is so important.

Website links:

Sumdog - a fun way to learn maths. Our school has an annual subscription to the website paid for by out PA. Every children has their own login and password.

Topmarks - fun maths games for all ages.

Times Tables - knowing our times tables forwards, backwards, upside down and back to front is a key skill for maths. Challenge yourself with this website.