Welcome to our Maths page!
Miss Mellor is our maths subject leader. If you have any good ideas about maths, please come and speak to her.
Please visit the Maths Calculation Policy page to find out how mathematics is taught across the school, which calculation methods are used and how you can support your child with their learning at home.
Maths Curriculum Overview
Please find below our maths curriculum overview. This sets out the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for each year group in maths.
Why do we teach maths?
Maths equips pupils with a uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. These tools include logical reasoning, problem solving skills and the ability to think in abstract ways.
Maths is important and essential in everyday life. It is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind we endeavour to ensure that pupils develop a healthy and enthusiastic attitude towards maths that will stay with them.
Our aim is all pupils should:
- Have a sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system
- Know by heart number facts such as number bonds, multiplication tables, doubles and halves
- Use what they know by heart to figure out numbers mentally
- Calculate accurately and efficiently, both mentally and in written form, drawing on a range of calculation strategies
- Recognise when it is appropriate to use a calculator and be able to do so effectively
- Make sense of number problems , including non routine problems, and recognise the operations needed to solve them
- Explain their methods and reasoning using correct mathematical terms
- Judge whether their answers are reasonable and have strategies for checking these
- Suggest suitable units for measuring and make sensible estimates of measurements
- Explain and make predictions from the numbers in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables
- Develop spatial awareness and an understanding of the properties of 2D and 3D shapes.
How do we teach maths?
Pupils are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop and extend their mathematical skills. The structure of lessons will vary depending on the objectives being taught, and the needs of the pupils, but key components of lessons include: mental/oral starters, a main teaching activity, independent activities and a plenary session. The teaching of maths at Copley Junior School provides opportunities for:
- Group work
- Paired work
- Individual work
- Whole class teaching, use of equipment, resources and ICT
- Regular practice of times tables using Times Tables Rock Stars
Pupils engage in
- The development of mental strategies
- Written methods
- Practical work
- Investigative work
- Problem solving
- Mathematical discussion
- Consolidation of basic skills and number facts
At Copley Junior School we recognise the importance of establishing a secure foundation in mental calculation and recall of number facts before standard written methods are introduced. We use mathematical vocabulary when planning to help determine the appropriate terminology to use in our teaching and children are expected to use this in their verbal and written explanations.
How you can improve your maths
- Complete your home learning tasks - both written tasks and online maths tasks
- Practise your times tables using 'Times Tables Rock Stars'
- Practise telling the time, using analogue and digital clocks
- Use the computer, there are lots of great websites!
Maths across the Curriculum
As part of their science project on 'Predator', Year 3 used careful measuring and understanding of scale to create these life size creatures. Amazing work, Year 3!
'I am Warrior'
As part of their history project on Romans, children found out about Roman numerals and then worked out problems using them.
'Potions' Enterprise Event
Each year group takes part in an enterprise event every year in order to develop their maths skills of counting money and calculating profit margins.
Year 4 children worked very hard in their company teams to make a range of bath products including bath salts, lip balms and body oils, beautiful packaging and very persuasive leaflets and posters as part of their 'Potions' project. We certainly have some budding entrepreneurs and persuasive sales people in Year 4. Following the express event, children were busy counting the money and working out their costs and profits - of £400!
The enterprise event gave the children opportunity to carry out real life money problems, including running costs and profits.
Eco Council 'Switch Off Fortnight'
Our Eco Council took part in 'Switch Off Fortnight' to see if we could save energy. Before the start of the initiative, the Year 5 eco-councillors conducted a survey in school every day to find out how many laptops and interactive whiteboards were left on during lunchtime when they were not being used and also how many of the school’s lights were on ‘Eco’, ‘Eco+’ or ‘Max’ mode. The Green Team then went around the whole school and put up signs with our energy saving mascot (Mr Energy Saver) to remind people to turn off laptops, interactive whiteboards and lights. During Switch Off Fortnight, the Year 5 eco-councillors repeated their survey for two weeks to see if our signs and reminders would help us reduce the amount of electricity we use in school.
Following our 'Switch Off Fortnight', children in Year 5 created graphs and used Excel spreadsheets to present further graphs to analyse and show the impact of our drive to save energy. We achieved our aim of reducing energy use over the two weeks, so well done everyone and remember to keep switching off interactive whiteboards, lights and laptops when they are not in use!
As part of their history project, 'Time Traveller', Year 5 children compared life expectancy in different countries and chose how to present their information in graphs.
During their 'Time Traveller' project children in Year 5 learned about different time zones and used these to calculate intervals of time.
Link with St Joseph in Carquefou - As part of our Year 5 teachers' visit to St Joseph in Carquefou and our shared curriculum focus study with our French penfriends, children at Copley and St Joseph compared what they like to eat - the results are below!
What do we like to eat - Qu'aimons-nous manger?
In the science investigation below, Year 5 investigated which material would be the most effective for creating an astronaut's space suit, using data loggers to measure temperature and a graph tool to present their results.
Year 5 tacked the challenge of drawing the planets in the solar system to scale!
'A Child's War'
Year 6 used their investigative maths skills to take on the challenge of solving a World War 2 Transposition Cipher.
Year 6 made great progress in learning about ratio in their maths lessons. After tackling many graded problems, it was time for practical work mixing delicious fruity cocktails to the ratios detailed in the recipe, before a well deserved sampling session.
As part of their science study of identity in their project 'ID', Year 6 identified, grouped and classified environmental and inherited traits, set up their own enquiry and chose the most effective method of recording data to present their results.
Whole school maths investigations
Whole school maths investigation weeks provide another focus for using and applying maths skills in different contexts.
During our 'Magic Squares' work, each year group worked on maths challenges on this theme, with progression through school in the complexity of the problem solving skills and knowledge required to crack the puzzles.
Year 3 investigated sudokus.
Year 5 investigated magic squares.
Year 6 investigated domino puzzles.
Smarties Investigation Week
Our involvement in Times Tables Rock Stars has had fantastic impact in engaging children to learn their times tables and division facts. To find out more information and to see details of our annual 'Rock Wrangle' please click here.