Maths Curriculum

At Harrington Hill, we follow the National Curriculum for maths.  The program of study aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics
• Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry
• Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems.

Please see the documents attached below for more information about the objectives that are covered in each year group:

• Year One Maths
• Year Two Maths
• Year Three Maths
• Year Four Maths
• Year Five Maths
• Year Six Maths

Maths Curriculum – ‘Challenge by Choice’

In Years 1-6, we plan and teach our engaging maths lessons using ‘Challenge by Choice’. During these lessons our children are in control of their own learning within the structure of the national curriculum, enabling each child to ‘learn without limits’. ​Children are encouraged to become autonomous thinkers who choose the level of learning that is right for them that day. Using assessment for learning and quality first teaching, we plan for the individual needs of our children. We teach exciting maths concepts, which are designed so that everyone can succeed, using concrete resources and problem-solving challenges to deepen understanding. We ensure our lessons are child-led, practical and celebrate diversity in maths.

Our curriculum is carefully designed and organised to ensure that children fully master key concepts in a visual and practical manner.  Pupils will explore concepts using concrete materials, before progressing to pictorial and abstract methods (the CPA approach).

Working collaboratively, in mixed attainment groups, children will support each other in mastering key concepts. All pupils have the opportunity to ‘master’ concepts, whilst ensuring that support is always readily available.

This may be very different to the way in which you were taught yourself, but your class teacher is always willing to help show our methods. Please also see our ‘Calculation Policy’ following the CPA approach.

Maths Calculation Policy – Feb 2022

Ocean Maths Workshops

This year, we will be running our Ocean Maths workshops again for EYFS and KS1, which have been extremely successful in the past. Ocean Maths is a maths project which involves helping parents to support their children with maths homework. Parents are invited to a workshop led by the class teacher and the maths lead teacher. At the workshop, they work alongside their children to share strategies for maths operations and investigations. We carry out workshops on place value, addition and subtraction strategies and multiplication and division strategies. If there is an area of maths that you would like support with, please let us know and we will endeavour to include it in our next workshop.

How to help your child with their times tables

The quick recall of multiplication and division facts (times tables) is essential for all children.  The ability to recall these facts quickly enables children to answer related questions with ease.  According to the National Curriculum the expectation of times tables in each year group is as follows:

• Year 1: Counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 10
• Year 2: 2x, 5x and 10x and the corresponding division facts
• Year 3: 3x, 4x and 8x and the corresponding division facts
• Year 4: Know and recall multiplication facts up to 12 x 12 and corresponding division facts
• Year 5: Recall quickly multiplication facts to 12 x 12 and use them to multiply pairs of multiples of 10 and 100 e.g. 20 x 300 = 6,000
• Year 6: Use knowledge of multiplication facts to derive quickly squares of numbers to 12 x 12 and the corresponding squares of multiples of 10.

We often get asked at parent’s evening, what can be done to help children at home with their maths – learning times tables is a brilliant way of helping your child and it really can make a huge difference.  Below is a booklet with ideas to help you support your child with their times tables, it includes some useful strategies, games and links to websites.  We hope you find it useful!

Harrington Hill Times tables strategy booklet

Real world maths

Maths is all around us – you can use everyday experiences to reinforce and develop maths skills and vocabulary with your child.  Measurement, fractions, shape, time and money all benefit from real world application and can be easily used as a means for your child learn maths.  Below are some ideas:

• Shopping – involve younger children in counting out items, talk about one more, one less, bigger, smaller etc.  Older children can practice money management and comparing discounts.
• Cooking – perfect for practising number, measuring, size, shape and time.  Fractions can also be introduced in sharing out portions.
• Gardening – younger children can find the tallest, smallest flower, tree etc and look for symmetry in nature.  Older children may enjoy planning a gardening project introducing scaling, area, reading temperature and measuring growth of plants.
• Games and puzzles – For younger children, hopscotch and snakes and ladders for number recognition, play ‘What’s the time Mr. Wolf?’ but your child must show the time on a clock.  Other examples include Snap,  Blackjack, Money Bags and Monopoly.

Interesting Maths Fact

• If you were to count to a million by ones non-stop, it would take you about 12 days.  If you were to count to a billion by ones non-stop, it would take you about 32 years! Wow!!
• In a room of 23 people, there is a 50% chance that two people have the same birthday.
• Every odd number has an ‘e’ in its spelling.
• What comes after a million, billion and trillion? A quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion and undecillion.
• The name of the popular search engine ‘Google’ came from a misspelling of the word ‘googol’, which is a very large number (the number one followed by one hundred zeros to be exact).
• 111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Fun maths Puzzles

You can see the solutions and play an interactive version of these puzzles at puzzle.com (and many others too). Click on ‘Puzzles to Play’ and follow the link to ‘Matchstick puzzles’.

 Puzzles to Play