Maths

At Willowbrook Mead academy we believe our Mathematics curriculum should ensure deeper understanding and progress for all learners to enable every child to succeed in mathematics. At Willowbrook Mead Academy we aim, through high quality creative and inclusive lessons, to create a sense of excitement and curiosity around mathematics.

Children are encouraged to make links between what they are learning and the world around them. A high-quality maths education provides foundations for understanding the world and promotes the aim that all children are knowledgeable, skilled, and ready for the next phase of their education.

The 2014 National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure all pupils:

Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they are efficient in using and selecting the appropriate written algorithms and mental methods, underpinned by mathematical concepts
Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios
Can reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, including in unfamiliar mathematical language

White Rose

At Willowbrook Mead Academy we follow the White Rose Scheme of work, which reflects and covers the National Curriculum objectives. The White Rose scheme has number at its heart and a lot of time is spent reinforcing number to build competency. It also provides opportunities to build reasoning and problem-solving into each lesson. White Rose believes that all children, who are introduced to a concept, should have the opportunity to build on their abilities by following a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach.

Please find the maths overviews for the school at the bottom of the page.

How is maths taught at Willowbrook Mead

The curriculum focuses on four areas: number, measurement, geometry and statistics across the year. Included in every lesson are Review, fluency, reasoning and problem-solving tasks, giving the children the opportunity to explore the concept being taught extensively before moving on to the next.

We believe in exposing the children to multiple representations of a concept, using concrete, pictorial and abstract examples simultaneously to support the children’s understanding.

At Willowbrook Mead Academy, we place high importance on mathematical talk. As a result, lessons include regular opportunities for the children to discuss their understanding and explain their thinking, both with the adults and their peers.

Accurate use of vocabulary and terminology features prominently in our lessons, with teachers both modelling and expecting it from the children from Nursery up to Year 6. We believe this will support our children when faced with a range of mathematical problems.

Homework

Children are given Mathematics homework weekly at Willowbrook Mead. The Mathematical activities provided will link to the learning done in class that week, earlier in the term or from the previous term encouraging the children to practice, embed and make connections between their key skills.

Times tables

We expect all children at Willowbrook Mead to have a secure grasp of the multiplication tables. Just like learning to walk before you can run, learning multiplication, and memorising the times tables are building blocks for other maths topics taught in school – such as division, fractions, and algebra. We explicitly teach and assess times tables.

In the table below are the National Curriculum times tables end of year expectations for each year group. Children regularly work on their times tables in school, but it is important for them to practice at home too!

Times tables Rock Stars

Willowbrook Mead children are rock superstars!

Times Tables Rockstars is a website that lets children practice their times table in a fun, engaging and rewarding way. It lets them create and build a cool avatar, join a battle of bands against other classes and compete in times tables festivals against children around the world!

Once you are on the website you will be asked to login.

Start typing in “Willowbrook Primary Academy” and click on the school’s name when it appears.

Then put in your username and password to login. Each child will have been given their logins by their teacher.

Check out the videos below for guidance and more information.

You can also practise developing fluency at home with Times Tables in other ways. Please click here to find out more

Numbots

Numbots is a fun and interactive game that helps children master addition and subtraction using different representations. Questions progress at a pace to suit individual learners’ needs allowing children to progress through levels with the aim of improving fluency and problem-solving skills. Children will have opportunities to play at school and are encouraged to play at home as part of their homework activities.

There are two game types:

Story Mode – the emphasis is on learning the ideas and concepts behind addition and

subtraction so it features more diagrams, shapes and question styles.

Challenge Mode – the emphasis is more on speed of recall of key facts, like number

bonds to 10, doubling small numbers or adding & taking away in your head.

Click here to access the website.