Maths

Teaching for Mastery

This document outlines the underpinning principles, lesson design and how mastery works in the classroom.

Underpinning principles

Mathematics teaching for mastery ensures everyone learns and enjoys mathematics.
Mathematical learning behaviours are developed so that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.
Teachers continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.
Curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.

Lesson design

Lesson design links to prior learning to ensure pupils can access the new learning and identifies carefully sequenced steps in progression to build secure understanding.
Examples, representations and models are carefully selected to expose the structure of mathematical concepts and emphasise connections, enabling pupils to develop a deep knowledge of mathematics.
Procedural fluency and conceptual understanding are developed in collaboration because each supports the development of the other.
It is recognised that practice is a vital part of learning, but the practice must be designed to both reinforce pupils’ procedural fluency and develop their conceptual understanding.

In the classroom

Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence.
In a typical lesson, the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration and discussion, enabling pupils to think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems.
Use of precise mathematical language enables all pupils to communicate their reasoning and thinking effectively.
If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind.
Significant time is spent developing deep understanding of the key ideas that are needed to underpin future learning.
Key number facts are learnt as rote and other key mathematical facts are learned deeply and practised regularly, to avoid cognitive overload in working memory and enable pupils to focus on new learning.

Behind the above elements are the Five Big Ideas in Teaching for Mastery, see below.

The Mathematics Curriculum

At Frizinghall, we have opted to use the White Rose Maths scheme, which is a highly regarded scheme that has gained popularity in schools due to its structured, comprehensive approach rooted in the mastery method. This approach emphasises deep understanding of core concepts, encouraging our pupils to progress at a measured pace to fully grasp each topic before moving on, which helps build a solid foundation and minimises gaps in knowledge. Designed in alignment with the UK’s National Curriculum, White Rose Maths supports our school in working towards meeting national standards while providing a clear progression across years so that our pupils continuously build upon previous learning. The scheme is particularly valued for its focus on problem-solving and reasoning, where lessons encourage critical thinking by integrating tasks that require our pupils to apply mathematical concepts in various ways, using different strategies such as visual, abstract and concrete methods to make maths more accessible and meaningful.

Daily 20-minute arithmetic sessions at Frizinghall provide numerous benefits, helping our pupils build strong foundational skills, boost confidence and improve mathematical fluency. Regular practice with basic calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division makes these operations feel more natural and automatic, allowing our pupils to develop speed and accuracy. This routine aids in knowledge retention, reduces learning loss and ensures fundamental skills stay fresh. By incorporating a range of problems, daily sessions allow for varied practice that addresses specific gaps in understanding, making it easier for our teachers to provide targeted support. Additionally, daily arithmetic provides our pupils with regular opportunities for small successes, fostering a positive attitude towards maths and building resilience when faced with more complex problems.

White Rose Maths is highly adaptable and can be effectively integrated with other resources to enhance teaching and support diverse pupil needs. For example, while White Rose includes some visual models and manipulatives, additional resources like Dienes blocks, counters, Numicon and Cuisenaire rods can deepen understanding of abstract concepts, particularly in topics like place value and fractions.

At Frizinghall, incorporating digital tools and interactive platforms such as TTRockstars complements White Rose lessons by providing gamified practice, reinforcing topics in a more engaging way and offering extra opportunities to build fluency. Additional practice sheets, such as those from Collins Busy Ants Stretch and Challenge and Testbase, can also be used to provide adapted learning support; these resources allow teachers to give pupils who need it more as additional practice and those ready for it an extra challenge.

It is our belief that our pupils benefit from real-world application, therefore resources like NRICH and STOPS problem-solving, provide open-ended, real-life problem-solving scenarios and work well with White Rose’s focus on reasoning, helping pupils develop a deeper understanding and enthusiasm for maths. For younger learners, pairing White Rose Maths with storybooks that explore mathematical themes, like Ten in the Bed or Mouse Count, make lessons more engaging and relatable, while cross-curricular resources, particularly in science, art or geography, can reinforce concepts, especially with topics involving measurement or data.

A cohesive learning environment across year groups has been maintained by sharing take-home activities like the White Rose parent booklets or maths games with parents such as the White Rose 1-minute maths app, reinforcing White Rose concepts beyond the classroom. In all, White Rose Maths is a versatile scheme that, when combined with varied resources, creates a rich and dynamic learning environment that caters to diverse learning styles and supports a deeper understanding of maths concepts. With regular updates based on feedback from educators like ourselves at Frizinghall, White Rose Maths remains relevant and responsive to evolving educational standards and needs, making it a powerful tool that promotes thorough, inclusive and engaging learning experiences.

In summary, White Rose Maths’ flexibility allows it to be seamlessly combined with various resources, creating a rich, dynamic learning environment that supports diverse pupil needs and fosters deeper mathematical understanding.

The Mathematics Whole School Long Term Plan

	Year group
Term	Nursery (Units in this year are covered in no particular order throughout the year) Adult-led and provision-based	Reception Adult-led and provision-based	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Autumn	More, than fewer than, same	Getting to know you (Weeks 1-2)	Place value (within 10) (Weeks 1-5)	Place value (Weeks 1-4)	Place value (Weeks 1-3)	Place value (Weeks 1-4)	Place value (Weeks 1-3)	Place value (Weeks 1-2)
	Explore and build with shapes and objects	Match, sort and compare (Weeks 3-4)	Addition and subtraction (within 10) (Weeks 6-10)	Addition and subtraction (Weeks 5-9)	Addition and subtraction (Weeks 4-8)	Addition and subtraction (Weeks 5-7)	Addition and subtraction (Weeks 4-5)	Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (Weeks 3-7)
	Explore repeats	Talk about measure and patterns (Weeks 5-6)	Shape (Week 11)	Shape (Weeks 10-12)	Multiplication and division A (Weeks 9-12)	Area (Week 8)	Multiplication and division A (Weeks 6-8)	Fractions A (Weeks 8-9)
	Hear and say number names	It's me 1, 2, 3 (Weeks 7-8)	Consolidation (Week 12)			Multiplication and division A (Weeks 9-11)	Fractions A (Weeks 9-12)	Fractions B (Weeks 10-11)
	Begin to order number names	Circles and triangles (Week 9)				Consolidation (Week 12)		Converting units (Week 12)
	I see 1, 2, 3	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Weeks 10-11)
	Join in with repeats	Shapes with 4 sides (Week 12)
	Explore position and space
Spring	Show me 1, 2, 3	Alive in 5 (Weeks 1-2)	Place value (within 20) (Weeks 1-3)	Money (Weeks 1-2)	Multiplication and division B (Weeks 1-3)	Multiplication and division B (Weeks 1-3)	Multiplication and division B (Weeks 1-3)	Ratio (Weeks 1-2)
	Move and label 1, 2, 3	Mass and capacity (Week 3)	Addition and subtraction (within 20) (Weeks 4-6)	Multiplication and division (Weeks 3-7)	Length and perimeter (Weeks 4-6)	Length and perimeter (Weeks 4-5)	Fractions B (Weeks 4-5)	Algebra (Weeks 3-4)
	Explore position and routes	Growing 6, 7, 8 (Weeks 4-5)	Place value (within 50) (Weeks 7-8)	Length and height (Weeks 8-9)	Fractions A (Weeks 7-9)	Fractions (Weeks 6-9)	Decimals and percentages (Weeks 6-8)	Decimals (Weeks 5-6)
	Explore own first patterns	Length, height and time (Weeks 6-7)	Length and height (Weeks 9-10)	Mass, capacity and temperature (Weeks 10-12)	Mass and capacity (Weeks 10-12)	Decimals A (Weeks 10-12)	Perimeter and area (Weeks 9-11)	Fractions, decimals and percentages (Weeks 7-8)
	Take and give 1, 2, 3	Building 9 and 10 (Weeks 8-10)	Mass and volume (Weeks 11-12)				Statistics (Week 12)	Area, perimeter and volume (Weeks 9-10)
	Match, talk, push and pull	Explore 3-D shapes (Weeks 11-12)						Statistics (Weeks 11-12)
	Talk about dots
	Compare and sort collections
	Lead on own repeats
Summer	Start to puzzle	To 20 and beyond (Weeks 1-2)	Multiplication and division (Weeks 1-3)	Fractions (Weeks 1-3)	Fractions B (Weeks 1-2)	Decimals B (Weeks 1-2)	Shape (Weeks 1-3)	Shape (Weeks 1-3)
	Making patterns together	How many now? (Week 3)	Fractions (Weeks 4-5)	Time (Weeks 4-6)	Money (Weeks 3-4)	Money (Weeks 2-4)	Position and direction (Weeks 4-5)	Position and direction (Weeks 3-4)
	Make games and actions	Manipulate, compose and decompose (Weeks 4-5)	Position and direction (Week 6)	Statistics (Weeks 7-8)	Time (Weeks 5-7)	Time (Weeks 5-6)	Decimals (Weeks 6-8)	Themed projects, consolidation and problem solving (Weeks 5-12)
	Show me 5	Sharing and grouping Weeks 6-7)	Place value (within 100) (Weeks 7-8)	Position and direction (Weeks 8-10)	Shape (Weeks 8-9)	Consolidation (Week 7)	Negative numbers (Week 9)
	My own pattern	Visualise, build and map (Weeks 8-10)	Money (Week 9)	Consolidation (Weeks 11-12)	Statistics (Weeks 10-11)	Shape (Weeks 8-9)	Converting units (Weeks 10-11)
	Stop at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Make connections (Week 11)	Time (Weeks 10-11)		Consolidation (Week 12)	Statistics (Week 10)	Volume (Week 12)
	Match, sort, compare	Consolidation (Week 12)	Consolidation (Week 12)			Position and direction (Weeks 11-12)