Robert Ferguson Primary School, East Dale Street, Denton Holme, Carlisle, CA2 5LA 01228 535091
Headteacher Mr Graham Frost BEd (Hons) MA NPQH



Maths

How We Teach Maths

Maths helps us understand the world we live in and plays a vital role in all aspects of life. At Robert Ferguson Primary School, we nurture children to develop their confidence and a positive attitude to maths. This has a crucial impact on children's learning, and their ability to use numbers in everyday life as they grow.

In Maths we:
  • promote a love of mathematics;
  • ask questions;
  • encourage risk taking, and learn from mistakes - this is how we learn and grow;
  • learn together;
  • are enthusiastic and willing to have a go;
  • talk about maths, share ideas and explain our learning;
  • experience hands-on learning and use equipment to help us find an answer;
  • adapt lessons to support and challenge all learners;
  • build on learning using small steps;
  • problem-solve using our maths skills;
  • use feedback from our friends and teachers to improve;
  • make links with prior learning and next steps;
  • persist to establish secure understanding on which to build;
  • use cross-curricular links and the outdoors to enhance learning.

Mastery Approach

Across the school we teach using a mastery approach. We believe all children can achieve in mathematics and teach for secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through small steps.

New concepts are introduced using a 'Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract' approach. 'Concrete' means using physical objects to aid understanding, 'pictorial' means using pictures, and 'abstract' means doing maths just in our heads.

Arithmetic and essential maths skills are practised daily to ensure key mathematical concepts are embedded and children can recall this information to see the links between different topics in Mathematics.

We use White Rose Maths, a scheme of work which follows the National Curriculum.

Supporting Maths Learning at Home

  • Encourage your child to complete 5 minutes a day on Doodle Maths.
  • Timestable Rockstars: All of the children have access to TTRS, a fun programme that helps children learn their multiplication facts.
  • Real-life maths: Let children help with the shopping and teach them about money, time, measures, pattern and number around the home or out and about.
  • Talk about maths, ask your child to show you how they work things out and you can tell them about how you learned maths.
  • If you would like to talk about how we teach maths, come and speak to your child's teacher.