Our Maths Vision:
To create resilient and inspired mathematicians who have the necessary tools to solve problems and communicate mathematically
At Rhodes Avenue Primary School, our aim is to create resilient and inspired mathematicians who have the necessary tools to solve problems and communicate mathematically. Our children should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
We are committed to nurturing a love of mathematics that extends beyond the classroom and prepares our pupils for a future where they can confidently apply mathematical concepts in real-world contexts. We believe that maths is all around us, and our goal is to help children make meaningful connections between the mathematical concepts they learn and the wider world. Through quality first teaching, we aim to unlock children’s potential in maths and make it a fun, engaging subject which is accessible to all. Through our maths learning at Rhodes Avenue Primary School, we provide every child with the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of key mathematical ideas, using manipulatives and practical resources to build strong foundations and make rich connections.
We aim to create confident, independent mathematicians who can reason, solve problems, and apply their mathematical understanding in a variety of situations. By linking mathematical learning to everyday life, we ensure that children can see the relevance and importance of maths, whether they are calculating money, measuring ingredients in cooking, or understanding shapes and patterns in the environment around them.
We follow the National Curriculum for Mathematics, ensuring a balanced and coherent progression of learning. We focus on helping pupils achieve a thorough understanding of each concept before moving on, reinforcing learning with concrete and visual aids and manipulatives that allow children to explore, investigate, and engage with mathematics in a hands-on way.
Through the use of manipulatives, visual aids, and concrete experiences, we enable children to explore abstract mathematical concepts in a tangible and accessible way. Our pupils are encouraged to make connections between their learning and everyday life, whether they are counting coins when shopping, sorting and classifying items during a trip to the park or counting when sharing snacks or toys with a friends. By ensuring that maths is relevant and connected to the world around them, we empower our pupils to become thoughtful, reflective, and capable mathematicians who are equipped to solve problems and think critically in any context.
What do our Maths lessons look like?
Maths lessons at Rhodes Avenue Primary School can include any of the following aspects:
- Consolidation: This is where children revisit previously learnt concepts and are encouraged to retrieve and recall knowledge and skills
- Practice: This is where children independently have a go at the skill being taught to build fluency and confidence under the guidance of their teacher.
- Application: This is where children have a chance to apply the skills taught to problem solve and reason through different types of questions and in different contexts.
- Reason (Challenge): This is where children are challenged to use their mathematical knowledge and understanding to independently identify connections, justify or prove something or follow a line of enquiry.
Each year group has different Maths objectives that are taught which build upon previous learning. It is very important for children to have a secure understanding of number facts for automaticity.
What do we mean by number facts and mental maths strategies?
Mental maths strategies are the foundations for most of the areas of mathematics that use numbers. Without efficient mental strategies, children can often struggle to quickly and fluently calculate.
When we think of mental maths strategies we are essentially thinking about those maths skills we can do in our heads, without using the formal written methods that we would use for longer questions and columnar methods. Mental maths strategies are accepted ways of working maths out in your head that help us take shortcuts and get to the correct answer in an efficient way. They are the foundation of any written or formal method in mathematics. Retrieval practice and rapid recall of number facts is important because if children are able to recall number facts automatically, it allows them to free up their working memory when faced with more complex questions. We aim for our children to be truly fluent mathematicians and this can be best defined as children being able to confidently use and apply their knowledge of number relationship, number facts and the number system in order to calculate and solve problems efficiently.
Calculation Policy
Our Calculation Policy sets out the methods used in school to help your children with calculations. It has been written to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum, and aims to give pupils a consistent and smooth progression of learning in calculations across the school so that they develop a secure understanding of key mathematical concepts. Please find each year groups calculation policy:
Maths Progression
In support of our Calculation Policy (which outlines methods of calculations and vocabulary progression) the following Progression Maps outline when content is taught and the development within the mathematical strands presented within the National Curriculum from Year 1 to 6. Our progression maps are a helpful source of information and support in the design of our Mathematics curriculum in order to build on from learning with solid foundations and starting points for all of our youngest learners. Knowing what your child is learning in Maths is important so that you are able to support them in knowing which number facts are a priority for them to learn in that particular year group. For example, in Year 2 children will need to know their number bonds to 20 and know doubles up to 20. They will need to add on in steps of 2, 3 and 5 from 0, as well as in steps of 10 from any number. Adding one-digit numbers to two-digit numbers is usually first taught in ways such as using physical counters. Strategies such as ‘keeping the big number in your head and counting on to add the small number’ are introduced as part of the mental maths strategies in Key Stage 1.
Maths progression maps for number
Maths progression maps for all other areas of Maths
Yearly overviews
You can find the yearly overviews below which will highlight the key objectives that children will be focusing on in each year group.
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Nursery
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Reception
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 1
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 2
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 3
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 4
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 5
Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps Year 6
Support videos
We have created a range of short videos for parents/carers to use to support children with using the different written methods at home. Children may also find it useful to use these videos as a short revision session for each method.
Each video outlines at what stage children will be taught the method and gives step-by-step guidance to use the written method.
Supporting my Child’s Maths Learning at Home
For more information about the mathematical vocabulary that we use in school , please familiarize yourself with the documents below:
Maths dictionary for Children and Parents
EYFS Magical Mathematical Vocabulary
KS1 Magical Mathematical Vocabulary
KS2 Magical Mathematical Vocabulary
How can I help my child with Maths at home if I don’t have the same resources they use in school?
It is helpful for children to be able to visualise numbers. Research indicates that children tend to grasp mathematical concepts more effectively when they can visualize numbers and interact with physical objects that aid in their understanding. At Rhodes Avenue Primary School, we prioritize making these tangible resources available to all age groups, allowing children to explore and engage with mathematical ideas in a hands-on way during their lessons. The physical resources we use in school, such are not only beneficial in the classroom but can also be easily replicated using simple household items that many families already have at home. This approach helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and home practice, encouraging children to continue their mathematical exploration outside of school hours. By incorporating everyday objects into their learning process, children can build a deeper, more concrete understanding of abstract mathematical concepts.
Here are five commonly available household items that can be transformed into effective and engaging Maths resources!
| Lego If you have Lego, Duplo, or Megablocks at home, these can serve as excellent alternatives to traditional counting cubes. These versatile building blocks are not only great for basic counting and number recognition but also offer valuable support for more advanced mathematical concepts. Lego, in particular, is wonderful for helping children visualize fractions, as the blocks can be divided into smaller sections to represent fractional parts. Additionally, Lego blocks are highly effective for teaching addition and subtraction of fractions. By combining and separating the blocks, children can physically see how fractions can be added or taken away, making the concept much clearer and more tangible. This hands-on approach not only enhances their understanding but also makes learning about fractions an enjoyable and interactive experience. |
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| Pasta At school, we use Dienes, which are designed to represent numbers. These are a great tool for illustrating place value, as they can be used to represent thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. Another engaging way to represent numbers is through food, which is often a great way to capture children’s attention! You can use lasagne sheets to symbolize hundreds, spaghetti to represent tens, and pasta shells to stand in for ones. By incorporating these everyday food items, you create a more hands-on and interactive learning experience. This method allows children to physically manipulate the materials, making abstract mathematical concepts more accessible and fun. It also fosters creativity while reinforcing place value in a way that feels natural and enjoyable for young learners. |
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| Homemade beadstrings Beadstrings are a fantastic tool for helping children practice counting in groups, such as 2s, 5s, and 10s, as well as for representing two-digit numbers and performing basic addition and subtraction. To make beadstrings even more effective, use two different colors of beads. For example, you can assign one color to represent sets of 10 and switch to the second color after every 10 beads. This helps children clearly see groupings and understand concepts like tens and ones. If you don’t have beads at home, you can easily substitute with dried pasta tubes painted in different colors for distinction or pieces of cut straws. You can thread the beads or pasta tubes onto a piece of elastic, a shoelace, or even string. For younger children in Nursery and Reception, a beadstring with 20 beads works well for simple counting exercises. For children in Year 1 and beyond, consider using a beadstring with 100 beads to support more advanced counting, addition, and subtraction. This activity not only builds numerical understanding but also engages children in a fun, hands-on way that encourages active learning and exploration. |
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| Place value counters In the classroom, we often use small counters to represent numbers, which helps children visualize and understand place value more clearly. A creative and effective alternative to traditional counters is using bottle tops of different colours. By labelling the bottle tops with a permanent marker, they can easily be assigned to represent various place values, such as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands. This method allows children to physically manipulate the counters, reinforcing their understanding of how numbers are structured in our place value system. For example, each colour could represent a different place value—one colour for ones, another for tens, and so on—making it simple to visualize the different magnitudes of numbers. |
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| Homemade Tens frames Tens frames are grids that help children quickly visualize numbers when counters are placed in an organized manner. These grids provide an effective way to develop a strong understanding of number sense by helping children see how numbers fit into groups of 10. Tens frames are particularly useful for practicing addition and subtraction, understanding teen numbers, and recalling number bonds to 10 or 20. They allow children to see numbers in terms of tens and ones, which enhances their ability to perform mental math more easily. Creating your own tens frames at home can be both fun and practical. You can make them using materials such as cardboard strips, lollipop sticks, or even repurpose an egg box. For counters, you could use bottle tops, cardboard circles, or buttons—anything that can be easily arranged and counted. These simple materials can turn into a powerful learning tool, giving children the opportunity to engage with numbers in a hands-on and creative way. Whether adding, subtracting, or exploring number patterns, tens frames help children build a deeper and more intuitive understanding of numbers. |
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Playing Card Game Ideas
Click on any of the links below to gain some inspiration for playing games at home with your children using playing cards. Encourage them to teach you the games they have been playing in school. Teach them a game you learnt as a child or play as an adult. There will be an element of maths skills in every card game without you even realising!
Card Games to support Primary Mathematics
Playing games with playing cards
Math games to play with a deck of cards
Useful websites and documents
Below are websites, guides and information leaflets to help your child with maths at home.
