At St Matthew’s, we strongly believe that every child can succeed in Maths. Our teachers are experienced and trained in delivering a ‘mastery curriculum’ for all pupils.
We strive to keep each class together, working at the same level by using ‘same day interventions’ for those children who have struggled with a particular concept. For children who have grasped a concept rapidly, they will be further challenged through breadth and depth within that objective, as opposed to moving on to the next.
Throughout every Maths topic, we endeavour to provide a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach to teaching and learning. This following extract is taken from the White Rose Maths Hub:
Concrete – Children should have the opportunity to use concrete objects to help them understand what they are doing.
Pictorial – Children can then build on this previous step by using pictorial representations which can be used to help with reasoning and problem-solving questions.
Abstract – With the foundations firmly laid, children should be able to work without the able support using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
This year at St Matthew’s, we have had a real push forwards to ensuring that every child has been exposed to a range of reasoning and problem-solving activities. These can come in many forms.
You can also find the Long Term Plan for each Class at the bottom of this page, in addition to a more detailed explanation for how we achieve mastery for all ages and abilities at St Matthew’s.
At St. Matthew’s, we have multiple staff qualified in delivering effective ‘Every Child Counts’ Maths Interventions, for children who require additional support in this subject.
The programmes we currently have running are as follows:
Success @ Arithmetic: (Intervention for learners in Key Stage 2) – This is made up of two components – Number Sense and Calculation. A trained teaching assistant delivers up to 30 forty-minute sessions to a group of up to 3 learners, 3 times a week for 8 to 10 weeks, in addition to their normal Maths lessons. The sessions use number rods, bar modelling and written methods to build a complete mathematical picture, developing learners’ arithmetical fluency.
1st Class @ Number 1: (Intervention for learners in Key Stage 1) – This intervention is focused on the Year 1 objectives. The trained teaching assistant will usually work with a group of 4 children about 3 times a week for 10 weeks. The lessons are designed to be fun for the children, with lots of games and activities and discussion about the mathematics they are learning. The children will also have their daily maths lesson with their class teacher, who will work with the 1st Class @ Number 1 teaching assistant to plan the children’s work.
1st Class @ Number 2: (Intervention for learners in Key Stage 1) – This is a very similar programme to 1st Class @ Number 1 and it follows the same structure and overall theme. This intervention is focused towards the Year 2 curriculum.
With all the above programmes, children taking part complete a Standardised test at the start and end of the intervention to measure their progress.
Parental involvement is crucial to the success of these programmes, as children may bring home mathematics activities to practice and play.
Qualified ECC Staff:
Mrs Gibson is the Lead Teacher co-ordinating all programmes.
Miss Taylor delivers Success @ Arithmetic.
Mrs O’Reilly delivers 1st Class @ Number 1.
Mrs Wright delivers 1st Class @ Number 2.
If you would like to learn more about this program, how we deliver it or how it’s helped our school, please feel free to contact the programme lead, Mrs K Gibson.
St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School subscribes to Times Table Rock Stars. This is a system that the children use to practise the instant recall of their multiplication and division facts, which helps them reach their full potential in their Maths Lessons. It can be accessed by computer, by downloading the app or by using paper handouts so everyone can get involved!
When it comes to times tables, fluency AND accuracy are important – the more facts a child remembers, the easier it is for them to complete harder calculations. Times Table Rock Stars is a fun and challenging programme designed to help children master the time’s tables. To be a Times Table Rock Star they need to answer any multiplication fact up to 12×12 in less than 3 seconds!
By the end of Year 4, children should have fluent recall facts for all multiplication facts up to 12 x 12. With the introduction of the Multiplication Check for Year 4 pupils, we hope Times Table Rock Stars will build the children’s confidence and enjoyment within this area of Maths.
Research shows that daily practise is the best strategy for children to learn these important facts. Short bursts of daily practise are much more effective than spending hours once a week. At St Matthew’s, we build in 10 minutes of key skills practice at the start of every Maths lesson in LKS2 and UKS2.
The quicker a child can answer a times tables question, the higher their Rock Status:
≤ 1 sec/qu = Rock Hero
≤ 2 secs/qu = Rock Legend
≤ 3 secs/qu = Rock Star
≤ 4 secs/qu = Headliner
≤ 5 secs/qu = Support Act
≤ 6 secs/qu = Breakthrough Artist
≤ 7 secs/qu = Unsigned Act
≤ 8 secs/qu = Gigger
≤ 9 secs/qu = Busker
≤ 10 secs/qu = Garage Rocker
> 10 secs/qu = Wannabe
Parental support is crucial in helping your child to reach their potential with times tables recall. Do you need some ideas to support your child’s times tables development? Take a look at the suggestions below:
*Download the Scatter Tables below. To use them, you call out a question from the times table you are focusing on and your child should point to the answer on the page. For example, if you are concentrating on the 5 times table, then find the Scatter Table for the 5s and call out questions like, “8
times 5” (your child points to 40), “3 times 5” (your child points to 15) or “5 times 12” (your child points to 60). Your child should be trying to get them correct each time and not worrying about the speed.
*Write the focus times table out, initially in order and then in a random order 
*Chant, rap or sing times table songs (try Percy Parker, MathsRockx and Mr DeMaio on YouTube)
*Ask your child to complete a TT Rockstars practise sheet that focusses on the table they are working on (again these can be downloaded below)
*Play TTRockstars online using the login card in your child’s homework book. They should play for a short while until they are successfully answering the questions quickly. TTRockstars online can be accessed via https://beta.ttrockstars.com/ or using the app which is free to download.
If you have any problems accessing this resource, please contact Mrs Gibson, Maths Coordinator.
Downloads
Follow the link provided to see online tutorial videos for LKS2 and UKS2. These tutorials cover written methods across the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) as well as using bar models to help with problem solving across KS2.
If you have any questions regarding these tutorials, please contact Mrs Gibson or Miss Donaldson.
Link to tutorial videos: Link
Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust