Since September 2023, the school has been using White Rose Maths to supplement and support our teaching and learning of reasoning in Maths. We continue to use Big Maths for written methods and arithmetic; problem solving/reasoning-based lessons are taught using White Rose resources and the White Rose 'maths mastery' approach. 

Abstract concepts are supported through the explicit use of manipulatives and pupils are encouraged to explain their thinking, broadening and deepening their mathematical understanding. 

Our planning overview can be found below:

Every day children have a CLIC session, including the four essential elements of Counting, Learn Its’, It’s Nothing New and Calculations. This is a carefully planned learning sequence. Firstly, children learn to count; secondly, they learn to remember totals as facts; thirdly, children learn to apply those facts in new situations through swapping the things being counted, and fourthly, they learn to structure all of the above into calculations.

Big Maths is based on a 5 stage model:

• Know where the child’s current attainment is at
• Know the next step for each child
• Teach them the new step
• Assess if the child has achieved that step
• Set a new target with the child.

Once a week, often on a Friday, each class has a Big Maths, Beat That! session. Each child is given their own set of addition and/or multiplication calculations. A special timer is used and the children have the challenge of completing as many calculations as possible within the given time. Each week they have to try and beat their best ever score! This is lots of fun and the children love to see whether they have beaten their best score. There is also another aspect to this, called the CLIC questions. This involves 10 key maths questions, such as halving, doubling, place value and fact families. Each child is set questions according to their ability and they have as much time as they need to answer as many as they can independently. Once these have been marked by the class teacher then targets and the next steps can be given.

Speaking and listening is always an important part of our lessons. We share our ideas, play games, share possible solutions for problems with a partner, our group or feeding back to the whole class. We are encouraged to explain and demonstrate the methods we use to solve problems set. When we listen to each other’s methods we learn from each other.

We have interactive whiteboards and individuals computers in our classrooms and our teachers use ICT to demonstrate methods and see different ways of working out problems. We use lots of different ICT programmes ourselves, such as Maths Whizz to help us to support and practise the things we have learnt.

At Cambridge Primary School we want every child to be confident, happy and successful in maths.

Big Maths Curriculum overview below