We are determined that children will leave Franche Primary being fluent, competent and confident in all areas of maths and be able to apply their knowledge to reason and solve problems. They will have a good understanding of how maths can help them in real life and how to tackle challenges head on.
When teaching mathematics at Franche, we provide a curriculum which caters for the needs of all individuals and is well-embedded into all of our cross-curricular topics to give a purposeful context for learning. We incorporate chilli challenges, which are varied and high-quality activities with a focus on fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
In line with the National Curriculum, pupils are required to explore maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their workings. A wide range of mathematical resources are used and pupils are taught to show their workings in a concrete way, before establishing ways of pictorially and formally representing their understanding. They are taught to explain their choice of methods and develop their mathematical reasoning skills. By encouraging pupils to have a 'Growth Mindset', pupils will develop resilience and an acceptance that a 'fabulous struggle' is a necessary step in learning.
Mastering number at Franche
Our aim is for all children will leave KS1 confident and fluent in addition and subtraction number facts with a secure understanding of number composition.
The Mastering Number Programme has been developed by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). It aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2.
Mastering Number sessions are inclusive for all children and follows a whole class approach. Children are encouraged to become mathematically observant, look for relationships, make connections with prior learning and communicate their mathematical ideas.
Within the programme, children use a variety of resources, representations and models that help develop their sense of number. They explore subitising and investigate how a number can be composed of two or more smaller numbers. The programme also uses the engaging Numberblocks children’s TV series animations to support the key teaching points.
How can you help your child at home?
Click on your child's year band below for some useful ideas of how to help at home:
At Franche Primary, we subscribe to Numbots and TTRockstars. These are fun websites to support your child in developing their key maths skills. Numbots is available from Reception onwards and TT Rockstars from Year2 through to Year 6. Your child should already have log-in details for these websites. Please ask your child's class teacher if you are unsure of it. A useful free app called 1-Minute Maths by White Rose is another excellent way for your child to quickly practise their mental maths skills. This requires no log-in.
At Franche, we follow the White Rose Calculation Policy, which maps out the progression of the four operations from Year 1 to Year 6. Have a look at the policies below for an overview of the different models and images we use to teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The team have also made useful step-by-step video guides to show exactly how each method is being taught in school. These are all available on our YouTube channel or by clicking on the link below :
Here is a link to our YouTube playlist where you can practise counting in each of the times tables.