MATHS
Maths Long Term Plan 2026.27 .docx
Salterhebble Key Instant Recall Facts docx
Mathematics at Salterhebble Junior and Infants School
At Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, we want to inspire confidence in every child so that they become resilient, independent and enthusiastic learners of mathematics. Most importantly, we want children to develop a genuine love of maths, creating a ‘buzz’ for learning where they are curious, willing to explore and excited by mathematical challenges.
We aim to provide a mathematics curriculum that is engaging, creative and inclusive, where all children are supported and challenged to achieve their full potential. Children are encouraged to represent their mathematical thinking in a variety of ways, investigate numbers and patterns, and enjoy the challenge of discovering new ideas.
We want children to work collaboratively, sharing ideas, listening to different approaches and explaining their thinking. Through discussion and collaboration, pupils develop their mathematical vocabulary, reasoning skills and resilience. They learn that there is often more than one way to approach a problem and understand the value of their own contributions, as well as the ideas of others.
Children will understand the purpose of their mathematical learning and recognise its relevance to everyday life. Wherever possible, mathematics is connected to real-life situations so that pupils understand how and why their learning is useful. They will build connections between different areas of mathematics and appreciate the important contribution mathematics makes to our lives and to society, both past and present.
We want every child to become confident in manipulating numbers and mathematical structures accurately, efficiently and flexibly. Secure fluency provides the foundations from which pupils can develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills, enabling them to apply their mathematical understanding confidently both within lessons and beyond the classroom.
At Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, we believe that mathematics is essential in helping children understand, interpret and navigate the world around them. Guided by the principles of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), we follow a teaching for mastery approach which enables every child to succeed. Our mathematics teaching is underpinned by the Five Big Ideas of Mastery: representation and structure, variation, mathematical thinking, fluency and coherence. These principles are woven throughout our teaching, allowing pupils to develop secure understanding over time, draw on prior knowledge and make meaningful connections between mathematical concepts.
Our curriculum provides a coherent and carefully sequenced journey through the key areas of mathematics. Conceptual understanding and procedural fluency are developed alongside one another, enabling children to become both accurate and flexible mathematicians. New learning is introduced through small, connected steps, allowing pupils to explore mathematical ideas deeply, build on what they already know and develop confidence and resilience.
In Reception, children follow the Mastering Number programme throughout their mathematics learning, providing a strong focus on developing secure number sense, subitising, composition and fluency. This supports children to develop the strong foundations needed for future mathematical learning and provides a consistent approach as they transition into Key Stage 1. Across Years 1 to 5, teachers follow a carefully planned and sequenced long-term plan which draws on the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation materials, White Rose Maths and Oak Academy resources. These resources are used thoughtfully to ensure that all aspects of the National Curriculum are covered while maintaining a clear focus on depth, progression and the development of secure foundations. The long-term plan allows teachers to identify the most important learning and make appropriate connections between concepts, while also providing flexibility to respond to the needs of each class. Year 6 currently continues to follow White Rose Maths while we undertake a careful transition towards a fully aligned approach. This ensures continuity for our Year 6 pupils while allowing us to evaluate and refine our curriculum offer across the school.
Throughout lessons, teachers use carefully selected examples, representations and models to expose important mathematical structures, patterns and relationships. Precise mathematical language is modelled consistently, and children are encouraged to use appropriate vocabulary when explaining, discussing and justifying their thinking. We use a concrete–pictorial–abstract (CPA) approach to support children's understanding, giving them opportunities to explore concepts using practical resources before progressing to pictorial representations such as number lines, part-whole models, arrays, bar models and diagrams, and ultimately to more formal abstract methods.
Reasoning and problem-solving are integral to mathematics at Salterhebble. Children are encouraged to follow lines of enquiry, investigate patterns, test ideas, make connections and develop their own conjectures. They learn to justify their thinking using evidence and precise mathematical vocabulary and apply their knowledge to both familiar and unfamiliar problems. Pupils are taught to work systematically, think flexibly and persevere when faced with challenges.
Our approach places emphasis on depth of understanding rather than speed, ensuring that children have the opportunity to explore mathematical concepts fully and develop secure foundations for future learning. Through this approach, we aim to nurture fluent, reflective, resilient and enthusiastic mathematicians who have the confidence to embrace challenge and the skills to use mathematics successfully throughout their lives.
KIRFS (Key Instant Recall Facts)
Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs)
At Salterhebble Junior and Infant School, we recognise the importance of developing secure mathematical foundations through the rapid and accurate recall of key number facts. Each half term, children are introduced to a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF), which they practise regularly both in school and at home. The focus is on developing accuracy, confidence and fluency so that key facts can be recalled efficiently and applied within wider mathematical learning. By revisiting and practising these essential facts, children develop strong foundations in number, allowing them to free up their working memory and focus more effectively on reasoning, problem-solving and new mathematical concepts. We have seen the positive impact that secure recall of these key facts can have on children's confidence and overall mathematical understanding, helping them to become increasingly fluent, independent and successful mathematicians.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all children:
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics
- Are able to reason mathematically
- Can solve problems by applying their Mathematics
At Salterhebble, these skills are embedded within daily Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently across the curriculum and in their lives within in a range of different contexts. We have high aspirations for all. We strive for all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject whilst developing their independence and resilience. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of Mathematics.
At Salterhebble, we follow the White Rose Maths small steps. We aim for children to ‘master maths’ which means acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. Once a pupil has achieved mastery, this means that their understanding of the maths topic they have been studying is solid and they can now move on to more advanced material.
The mastery approach is defined by five key principles: Representation and Structure, Fluency, Variation, Mathematical Thinking and Coherence. We aim to develop children’s mental and written fluency as well as their ability to solve problems. We encourage children to ask critical questions, make links and articulate their reasoning. We aim for the children to see mathematics as being relevant to their world and applicable to everyday life as well as being something that they will need as they move on through their school life and ultimately into the world of employment.
The five key principles are illustrated in the diagram below:
