Maths

The leader for maths is Mrs Rose.

We want children to be secure in their knowledge and understanding of maths and fluent in their application of it, so that they can find enjoyment in solving mathematical problems with growing confidence and have the necessary skills to move on successfully to the next stage of their education. We want children to enjoy Mathematics and not just to see it as a subject to learn at school but as a life-long skill.

Please view our Intent, Implementation, Impact document for an in depth look at our maths aims.

Our whole school maths overview  (attached below) outlines which areas and units in maths are taught at different times of year in each year group. As always, this is a rough guide, as we use our day-to-day assessment to determine when the children are ready to move onto the next stage of learning; this may vary from class to class. Detailed breakdowns of each unit can be found on the  White Rose Maths Hub website.   

Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs)

At Giffard Park, the KIRFs are designed to support the development of the children’s mental skills that underpin much of the maths work we do in school. They are vital for the children's learning and everyday lives. Each half term, children are given KIRFs to practise and learn at home as well as the work they will be doing in school. KIRFs are mailed home every half term and all KIRF leaflets include practical ideas for parents/carers to assist children in grasping the key facts. The children are also assessed on these KIRFs at the end of each half term to measure progress and aid future planning for teachers. We believe that It is important that children know these thoroughly and can recall specific facts instantly to support their mathematical understanding. Whilst our children have a wide range of abilities in maths, the KIRFs are designed to be a set of facts that need to be learnt thoroughly as they build on them year after year. We know that, by internalising key facts which have been carefully structured to build upon, children will leave Giffard Park Primary with a much stronger foundation of mathematical understanding. 

 KIRFs for all year groups can be seen in the overview below:

Below you can find more detailed infomration about the current KIRF your child is working on. 

Calculation Policies

The calculation policies below are designed to give guidance on how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are taught within the school at each stage of learning. At Giffard Park Primary School, we believe that choosing the appropriate strategy and recording it accurately is a particularly important tool for both further understanding and communicating that understanding to others.  A useful method is one that helps children carry out a calculation that can be understood by others.

At Giffard Park School, we strive to ensure that children have a strong understanding of the four operations and endeavour to embed fluency in their understanding. Following White Rose Hub, children are taught fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills to aid their understanding and develop their ability to use mathematics in the wider world.

These policies identify progression in calculation strategies through stages. Although these stages are aligned to year groups, it should be noted that children should not be made to progress onto the next stage if they are not ready.

Times Table Tracker

In addition to TT Rockstars, we have devised our own times table tracker that the children are introduced to in Year 2 and continue until they leave Year 6. The children work through a series of tests broken down into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

Your child’s teacher will keep track of where your child is on the awards and they will be tested once a week with a test of 40 questions. In order to progress onto the next table, the children must score a total of 38/40 (or higher) within a 3-minute limit. Year 2 however will only need to score a minimum of 35/40 in order to progress. Once each stage is complete, the children will receive a sticker for themselves and a sticker for their tracker certificate  (copy attached below). Once all stages of the tracker have been completed, the children are able to take home their certificates. 

Once the tracker has been ‘completed’ and all levels have been achieved, the children move onto the Times Table Raffle. This is where they will receive a random mixture of 40 multiplication and division questions that they must score full marks on in 3 minutes. If successful, they are awarded a raffle ticket for each time they score full marks and are entered into the prize draw which is drawn at the end of each half term in Key Stage assemblies. There are a number of exciting prizes to be won like books, stationary, even toys and games!

• Times Table Tracker Certificate
• TT parents guide

Mathematician Award

Each half term, teachers in each year group will nominate one child to receive a mathematician award. This person will have shown the SMART values or some of the following within maths lessons: persevering with something they have been finding difficult; a positive attitude towards their maths learning; beautiful presentation; incredible hard work and determination or anything else that the teachers feel has shown great achievement within maths lessons. Each winner will receive a medal alongside a personalised certificate, which is awarded within Key Stage assemblies by the maths manager. In addition, their photo is also displayed outside the staff room on our Marvellous Maths display! 

Question of the Month

 Each month, a challenging question for each key stage is displayed on the Marvellous Maths display outside the staff room. Children are encouraged to solve the question – or problem – and post their answers in the answer boxes on the display. If they get the question right, they are awarded with House Points for their house! Once the question is changed at the end of the month, teachers will work with their classes/maths groups to solve the question and introduce the next challenge. You can an example question of the month below:

Maths

The leader for maths is Mrs Rose.

We want children to be secure in their knowledge and understanding of maths and fluent in their application of it, so that they can find enjoyment in solving mathematical problems with growing confidence and have the necessary skills to move on successfully to the next stage of their education. We want children to enjoy Mathematics and not just to see it as a subject to learn at school but as a life-long skill.

Please view our Intent, Implementation, Impact document for an in depth look at our maths aims.

Our whole school maths overview  (attached below) outlines which areas and units in maths are taught at different times of year in each year group. As always, this is a rough guide, as we use our day-to-day assessment to determine when the children are ready to move onto the next stage of learning; this may vary from class to class. Detailed breakdowns of each unit can be found on the  White Rose Maths Hub website.   

Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs)

At Giffard Park, the KIRFs are designed to support the development of the children’s mental skills that underpin much of the maths work we do in school. They are vital for the children's learning and everyday lives. Each half term, children are given KIRFs to practise and learn at home as well as the work they will be doing in school. KIRFs are mailed home every half term and all KIRF leaflets include practical ideas for parents/carers to assist children in grasping the key facts. The children are also assessed on these KIRFs at the end of each half term to measure progress and aid future planning for teachers. We believe that It is important that children know these thoroughly and can recall specific facts instantly to support their mathematical understanding. Whilst our children have a wide range of abilities in maths, the KIRFs are designed to be a set of facts that need to be learnt thoroughly as they build on them year after year. We know that, by internalising key facts which have been carefully structured to build upon, children will leave Giffard Park Primary with a much stronger foundation of mathematical understanding. 

 KIRFs for all year groups can be seen in the overview below:

Below you can find more detailed infomration about the current KIRF your child is working on. 

Calculation Policies

The calculation policies below are designed to give guidance on how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are taught within the school at each stage of learning. At Giffard Park Primary School, we believe that choosing the appropriate strategy and recording it accurately is a particularly important tool for both further understanding and communicating that understanding to others.  A useful method is one that helps children carry out a calculation that can be understood by others.

At Giffard Park School, we strive to ensure that children have a strong understanding of the four operations and endeavour to embed fluency in their understanding. Following White Rose Hub, children are taught fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills to aid their understanding and develop their ability to use mathematics in the wider world.

These policies identify progression in calculation strategies through stages. Although these stages are aligned to year groups, it should be noted that children should not be made to progress onto the next stage if they are not ready.

Times Table Tracker

In addition to TT Rockstars, we have devised our own times table tracker that the children are introduced to in Year 2 and continue until they leave Year 6. The children work through a series of tests broken down into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

Your child’s teacher will keep track of where your child is on the awards and they will be tested once a week with a test of 40 questions. In order to progress onto the next table, the children must score a total of 38/40 (or higher) within a 3-minute limit. Year 2 however will only need to score a minimum of 35/40 in order to progress. Once each stage is complete, the children will receive a sticker for themselves and a sticker for their tracker certificate  (copy attached below). Once all stages of the tracker have been completed, the children are able to take home their certificates. 

Once the tracker has been ‘completed’ and all levels have been achieved, the children move onto the Times Table Raffle. This is where they will receive a random mixture of 40 multiplication and division questions that they must score full marks on in 3 minutes. If successful, they are awarded a raffle ticket for each time they score full marks and are entered into the prize draw which is drawn at the end of each half term in Key Stage assemblies. There are a number of exciting prizes to be won like books, stationary, even toys and games!

• Times Table Tracker Certificate
• TT parents guide

Mathematician Award

Each half term, teachers in each year group will nominate one child to receive a mathematician award. This person will have shown the SMART values or some of the following within maths lessons: persevering with something they have been finding difficult; a positive attitude towards their maths learning; beautiful presentation; incredible hard work and determination or anything else that the teachers feel has shown great achievement within maths lessons. Each winner will receive a medal alongside a personalised certificate, which is awarded within Key Stage assemblies by the maths manager. In addition, their photo is also displayed outside the staff room on our Marvellous Maths display! 

Question of the Month

 Each month, a challenging question for each key stage is displayed on the Marvellous Maths display outside the staff room. Children are encouraged to solve the question – or problem – and post their answers in the answer boxes on the display. If they get the question right, they are awarded with House Points for their house! Once the question is changed at the end of the month, teachers will work with their classes/maths groups to solve the question and introduce the next challenge. You can an example question of the month below: