Maths
Maths is a vital part of our curriculum at Heathmere. This section of the website will give you more information about Maths at Heathmere, as well as lots of ideas about how you can help your child with their learning at home.
Vision
Raise standards in numeracy by children learning mathematical structures and applying them efficiently to fluency, problem solving and reasoning tasks.
Talking and listening to the children at Heathmere informs us that children enjoy learning maths at Heathmere. Please talk to your child about their maths learning and check this is the case!
Talking and listening to the children at Heathmere informs us that children enjoy learning maths at Heathmere. Please talk to your child about their maths learning and check this is the case!
Maths Lessons
At Heathmere, we use the NCETM Professional Development Documents and White Rose Maths materials to support design our maths lessons. Feel free to look at these resources linked below. White Rose provide a lot of our activities and the NCETM provide animated images and support teachers in developing their own subject knowledge as an ongoing process.
https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/primary-resources/primary-sols/
https://www.ncetm.org.uk/teaching-for-mastery/mastery-materials/primary-mastery-professional-development/
Each lesson will contain:
-A Paired Talk Task
This is a discussion activity where the children work with a partner to explore a concept and practise using the appropriate mathematical language that they’ve been taught. This will always have either pictures or manipulatives (see examples below) to support their discussions and provide an image to help the children visualise the numbers
-Tiny Steps of Learning led by the Teacher.
In this part of the lesson, our teachers guide the children through the learning. We believe that smaller steps will allow ALL children to achieve in maths. Teachers will use images and manipulatives (see above) to guide the children to fully understand the concept and efficiently calculate. Instead of telling the children what we are learning each day, Children are encouraged to look at a variety of examples and generalise a rule to explain what they have learnt.
-Independent practice
The children will be given the chance to demonstrate their learning to show that they can fluently use the newly taught skill. Support and challenge is given where it is needed for individual children but the vast majority of children will have access to the same learning. The teacher will check that all children have understood the new skill within the lesson and give additional support where it is needed.
-Problem Solving and Mathematical Reasoning Tasks
This is an opportunity for all children to apply what they have learnt to an unfamiliar task. Children need to think about their key learning for the day and demonstrate that they can use it to solve problems or reason with maths.
In this part of the lesson, our teachers guide the children through the learning. We believe that smaller steps will allow ALL children to achieve in maths. Teachers will use images and manipulatives (see above) to guide the children to fully understand the concept and efficiently calculate. Instead of telling the children what we are learning each day, Children are encouraged to look at a variety of examples and generalise a rule to explain what they have learnt.
-Independent practice
The children will be given the chance to demonstrate their learning to show that they can fluently use the newly taught skill. Support and challenge is given where it is needed for individual children but the vast majority of children will have access to the same learning. The teacher will check that all children have understood the new skill within the lesson and give additional support where it is needed.
-Problem Solving and Mathematical Reasoning Tasks
This is an opportunity for all children to apply what they have learnt to an unfamiliar task. Children need to think about their key learning for the day and demonstrate that they can use it to solve problems or reason with maths.
Mental Arithmetic
Children being able to efficiently calculate is vital for them to be able to apply their mathematical skills in the classroom and into the real world.
Maths Meetings.
Children from nursery to Year 6 have a 15-minute maths meeting each day to practise their core mental arithmetic skills. The core skills for each year group are attached below.
Children from nursery to Year 6 have a 15-minute maths meeting each day to practise their core mental arithmetic skills. The core skills for each year group are attached below.

year_1.pdf | |
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year_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 522 kb |
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year_4.pdf | |
File Size: | 422 kb |
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year_3.pdf | |
File Size: | 518 kb |
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year_5.pdf | |
File Size: | 551 kb |
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year_6.pdf | |
File Size: | 532 kb |
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It is worth noting that the curriculum states that children should be able to fluently recall all of the times tables and corresponding division facts up to 12x12 by the end of Year 4.
Maths Mountain
This is a weekly maths challenge that all children from Year 1 to Year 6 take part in. Each child is given an individual target each week and they will be given a timed challenge to use it on a Friday.
Your child is expected to practise their target every evening.
This example is for a times table target. The children will have a set time to answer all 21 questions. If their target was to multiply by 6, they would need to multiply each number by 6 and put the answer in the box next to it.

Year 1, 2 and 3 have 75 seconds to complete their sheet.
Year 4 have 70 seconds to complete their sheet.
Year 5 have 65 seconds to complete their sheet.
Year 6 have 60 seconds to complete their sheet.
If children increase their score, complete targets or genuinely work hard, they earn stickers for the class towards earning money for Golden Time. Whole class stickers (10 for Key Stage winners and 5 for Key Stage Runners Up) are also given out to the classes with the highest average score each week.
You should expect your child to increase their score every week until it is complete. They should expect to complete a target and receive a new one at least every 3 weeks.
If your child is stuck on a target and you are unsure how to support them at home, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
Maths on Track (MOT)
This is a half termly test of mental arithmetic that checks the children are making progress in their Maths Meetings. It tests a variety of skills from the curriculum and we expect children to significantly increase their score each half term.
Please ask your child’s teacher for an example MOT sheet if you would like to further support your child at home
This is a half termly test of mental arithmetic that checks the children are making progress in their Maths Meetings. It tests a variety of skills from the curriculum and we expect children to significantly increase their score each half term.
Please ask your child’s teacher for an example MOT sheet if you would like to further support your child at home
If you have any questions about Maths then please talk to your child's class teacher or to our Maths Subject Leader, Mr Howland. They'll be happy to help!