Mathematics at Grange

At Grange First School, we want every child to see themselves as a confident, curious, and resilient mathematician.
We believe that everyone can do maths - it’s not about being “quick”, it’s about understanding, talking, and thinking deeply.

Maths is everywhere! It helps us to make sense of the world, to problem-solve, and to think logically and creatively.
Through our maths curriculum, we aim to build not only number skills, but also resilience, perseverance, and a love of learning.

Intent - What We Want for Our Children

At Grange First School, our intent is for children to:

• Develop a deep understanding of number and the key ideas that build mathematical fluency.
• Become resilient learners who aren’t afraid to make mistakes, try again, and keep going.
• Use mathematical conversation to explain their thinking and learn from others.
• See maths as enjoyable, creative, and useful in everyday life.
• Be able to reason and problem-solve, not just recall facts.

We follow the White Rose Maths scheme and the NCETM’s Teaching for Mastery approach, helping all children to build firm foundations and move forward with confidence.

We believe all children can be successful mathematicians with the right support, challenge, and belief in themselves. 

Implementation – How We Make It Happen

Our maths curriculum is carefully designed to build skills step by step, using the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach so children can see, do, and understand.

What this looks like in our classrooms:

• Lessons follow the White Rose Maths small steps to ensure clear progression and secure understanding.
• Children learn through practical resources, visual models, and written methods.
• We encourage maths talk - children discuss, question, and explain their ideas to deepen understanding.
• Teachers use stem sentences and vocabulary prompts to help pupils communicate mathematically.
• Challenge is for everyone - we use intelligent practice and variation to stretch and support all learners.
• We celebrate resilience and effort, helping children understand that mistakes help us learn and grow.
• Maths is taught every day, with opportunities to revisit and build on previous learning.

“In our maths lessons, we talk, we think, we try - and we never give up!”

Impact – What We See in Our Children

By the time children leave Grange First School, they will:

• Be confident, enthusiastic, and resilient mathematicians.
• Have a secure understanding of number, pattern, and calculation.
• Be able to explain their reasoning clearly, using mathematical language.
• Persevere when faced with challenge and take pride in solving problems.
• Enjoy exploring maths and see it as something they can all achieve in.
• Use their maths skills in real-life situations - from measuring and counting to spotting patterns in the world around them.

We measure our impact through:

• Ongoing assessment and feedback in lessons.
• Children’s ability to talk about their learning and explain their methods.
• Regular teacher moderation, assessments, and pupil voice discussions.
• Seeing children approach maths with smiles, confidence, and curiosity!

Inclusive Practice

Purpose:
At our school, we believe that mathematics is for every child. Our aim is to ensure that all learners, regardless of ability, background, or learning style, are supported to develop confidence, enjoyment, and competence in mathematics.

Principles of Inclusive Practice:

1. Equity and Access: Every child has the right to engage with mathematics at a level that challenges and supports them, using resources and strategies that meet their individual needs.
2. Differentiation: Lessons are planned to accommodate diverse learning styles, providing scaffolding, extension, and alternative approaches to ensure success for all learners.
3. High Expectations: All children are encouraged to strive for their personal best, with tasks designed to be challenging yet achievable.
4. Positive Mindset: We foster a growth mindset, helping children understand that mistakes are part of learning and that perseverance leads to improvement.
5. Representation and Participation: Classroom activities encourage collaboration, discussion, and multiple ways of demonstrating understanding, ensuring all voices are heard and valued.
6. Continuous Assessment and Support: Ongoing assessment identifies gaps, misconceptions, and strengths, allowing teachers to provide targeted support and enrichment.

Implementation:

• Use manipulatives, visual aids, and digital resources to support understanding.
• Provide opportunities for collaborative and peer-assisted learning.
• Regularly adapt tasks, questioning, and scaffolding to meet individual needs.
• Celebrate achievements of all learners, recognizing effort and progress as well as outcomes.

Our Maths Ethos

At Grange First School:

• Everyone can do maths.
• Mistakes are learning opportunities.
• Talking helps us to understand.
• Effort and resilience lead to success.
• Maths is for life- and for everyone!

Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs) 

At Grange, we recognise the importance of fluency and mental skills in mathematics. As a school, we are focusing on the teaching of Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs) to ensure children become secure in their recall of the key facts for their year group. Having instant recall of these facts will enable them to approach more complex maths with confidence and flexibility.  

Each half term children will focus on one area of Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs). Children are taught KIRFs in school as part of their daily fluency sessions. The children complete regular quizzes to make sure the facts are being retained. KIRFs are practised at home as each half term a home learning sheet is sent home. Each KIRF home learning sheet explains what the focus is for the half term and gives examples of the key facts that need to be learnt, as well as key vocabulary and questions to ask and top tips for learning them.