St. Urban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Our Vision for Maths

Our mathematical vision is to deepen the children’s mathematical understanding through a mastery approach. We believe that every child can achieve excellence in mathematics.

Aims:

We aim that all pupils:

Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and real-life scenarios.
Can reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.

We endeavour to not only develop the mathematics skills and understanding required for later life, but also to foster an enthusiasm and fascination about maths itself. We aim to increase pupil confidence in maths so they are able to express themselves and their ideas using the language of maths with assurance. We want 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 to the world of employment.

Times Tables Challenge.

At St Urban’s, we believe that a strong and fluent knowledge of times tables (including division facts) is essential for our children.

Fluency in times tables enables children to perform calculations much faster, improving their confidence and efficiency in solving mathematical problems. When children know their times tables by heart, they don’t have to pause to figure out basic multiplication, which saves time and mental energy for more complex tasks.

Mastering times tables and their related division facts is crucial for our children, as it directly impacts their ability to excel in mathematics, both in the present and as they move on to more advanced topics. It helps them work efficiently, boosts confidence, enhances problem-solving skills, and supports their overall development in Maths.

We teach our children the multiplication and division facts and have an established programme of times tables fluency.

Our children start learning to count in multiples of 2 before following the sequence below:

x2, x5, x10
x3, x4, x8
x6, x7, x9
x11, x12

From Year 2 onwards, all of our children work their way through our Times Tables Challenge. To earn their certificate, the children have to pass a 60-question test in 4 minutes, without a single mistake!