Maths

At Valley Road Academy we have high expectations for all of our pupils and believe that they can achieve highly and become confident and skilled mathematicians. We strive for all pupils to enjoy mathematics and to understand the importance of mathematics in their everyday lives.  

Aims  

In line with the aims of the National Curriculum for mathematics, at Valley Road Academy we aim to ensure that our pupils gain:  

• An ability to build on previous knowledge  
• Fluency with number  
• An ability to reason about a concept and make connections  

• Acquire deep and sustainable learning in mathematics, which they are able to apply to a range of contexts  
• Sound procedural and conceptual understanding  
• An ability to solve complex problems by breaking them down into smaller steps and showing resilience  

Mental calculation strategies 

Every day, math lessons begin with ‘number of the day’. This is to focus on specific mental strategies to answer questions by showing jottings and using mathematical vocabulary when answering.

The Counting Stick 

Each day, every maths lesson begins with a counting stick session. This allows pupils to practise and rehearse multiplication facts, so they become fluent in recall. This will last around 15 minutes, during which time opportunities for pupils to develop a range of mental strategies, as well as reason and apply multiplication facts into more complex problems are provided. Teachers use a wide range of sophisticated methods to ensure pupils are able to use this knowledge to make connections to wider mathematical concepts. This is a fundamental aspect of maths, and equips children with the appropriate skills, to solve more complex problems.

Best seat in the house

To increase the incentive to learn times tables, we feature best seat in the house during our Friday celebration assembly. The pupils with the highest scores in times table games or for showing a fantastic effort during maths, are rewarded with the best seat in the house.

Planning

At Valley Road, we use The white Rose Maths scheme of work as the basis of our planning.  It is  designed to support a mastery approach to teaching and learning
and are consistent with the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum.

Click the links below for an overview for each year group.        

 Reception               Year 1              Year 2                  Year 3                    Year 4                      Year 5              Year 6