Bridgetown Primary School
Ready, Respectful, Safe
Maths @ Bridgetown
Maths 2023-2024
Welcome to the maths page of our website. We hope that you will find it a valuable source of information about how maths is taught at Bridgetown Primary School.
NSPCC Number Day 2.2.24
Pupils across the school have had a wonderful time celebrating Number Day. Classrooms were buzzing with maths excitement as pupils participated in challenges, games, quizzes and an outdoor scavenger hunt on a number theme. A highlight of the day was Key Stage 2 pupils playing maths games they designed with Key Stage 1 classes. It was great to see so many pupils and staff dressing for the occasion too. Well done to the winning classes who participated in the NSPCC Rocks TT Rock Stars battle
Woodpeckers 1st Place
Owls 2nd Place
Chaffinches 3rd Place
Thank you to all who donated, we raised £214.35
Primary Maths Challenge
This week we were extremely proud of the resilience and determination shown by a group of our pupils from Years 5 and 6 who took part in the 2023 Primary Maths Challenge, run by the Mathematics Association. This year we had more pupils than ever take part tackling some very tricky problems and puzzles and showing great maths stamina. We are hoping that some of our highest scoring Gold Award pupils will go forward to the 'Bonus Round' in February.
Well done to the following pupils:
Gold Award
Nithila, Danny, Emily C, Henry, Thomas C, Lily Y, Jason
Silver Award
Grace, Logan, Thomas L-G, Max, Piers, Matilda, Mollie, Arthur, Huy, Florence, Noah, Fabian
Bronze Award
Rhys, Rosa, Emily B-S, Amelia H, Aya, Isabelle, Olivia, Robert, Liam, Charlotte, Hattie, Maggie, Mabel, Archie, Harrison, Skye, Lilli-Mai, Andrew,
Participation Award
Charlie B, Idris, Brooke, Ema, Artin.
Princethorpe College Maths Competition
On Monday Thomas C, Liliy Y, Hattie C and Rhys A visited Princethorpe College on 9th October to represent Bridgetown in a Year 5 maths competition. Over 5 timed rounds, they demonstrated excellent perseverance, resilience, team work and of course maths knowledge. Competition was stiff, but out of the 50 pairs who entered Thomas and Lily came second and Hattie and Rhys finished in the top 30. They were fantastic maths ambassadors for our school.
TT Rock Stars Hall of Fame 2022-23
Very well done to the following pupils who have worked hard throughout the year to earn an amazing amount of coins - over 2.5 million between them!
1st - Oliver P 2nd - Pavan
3rd- Lily 4th - Sebastian
5th - Henry L 6th - Idris
7th - Rhys 8th - Efe
9th - Jacob 10th - Arthur
TT Rock Stars Launch Day
What a busy and fun packed day we have had at the launch of this year’s Times Table Rock Stars. We all dressed the part and looked very cool in our fabulous outfits. Instead of our usual maths lessons we played times table games and used the ipads to earn coins in our rock battles. We also inducted pupils into the 2022-23 Hall of Fame.
Very well done to:
Maths 2022-2023
Summer Resources
As you are aware, we use the Power Maths scheme of work to support our Maths teaching in school. Since our initial subscription in 2020, new editions have been published. We still have pristine copies of textbooks (30 per year group)available for each term and each year group from Years 1-6. These might be helpful over the holidays to dip into to keep key skills ticking over. We are selling each copy for £2.50. All orders must be placed by 20th July.
We would ask that you don’t buy copies to work through content that your child is not yet learning in school e.g if your child is in Year 3 it would be more helpful to buy a Year 3 book to consolidate learning, rather than a teaching content of the Year 4 book. You may of course wish to purchase copies for future years and keep them until needed. It would not be helpful for you to try and teach your child future content that they have not yet covered in school.
First Mathematics Challenge
In June, pupils from Years 3 & 4 took part in the First Mathematics challenge, organised by the Mathematical Association. The challenge comprised of 20 tricky maths questions, to answer in 45 minutes – no mean feat. We are very proud of all participants. If you would like to have a go at the paper yourself click on the pdfs below.
Year 4 MTC
In June, Year 4 pupils will participate in the national multiplication check - MTC. The online check comprises of 25 multiplication questions. In school, we are keeping the check ‘low key’ to avoid putting any unnecessary pressure on pupils. However, there will be some opportunities in the weeks leading up to the Multiplication Tables Check for pupils to take part in practice tests in order to familiarise themselves with the format. Your child may also wish to spend some more time at home on Rock Star Times Tables to practise their fluency in preparation for the test. The following website can also be used for practice tests https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/
More information can be found on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiplication-tables-check-information-for-parents
In school, we emphasise that fluency of multiplicative facts is not solely required for test purposes. It is an essential skill as pupils move into Years 5 and 6 and tackle more challenging long multiplication and division methods and develop their understanding fractions, decimals and percentages.
If you have any questions about the multiplication check please do not hesitate to contact us.
Easter Maths
If you complete any of the Easter Maths challenges, I would love to see them! I will try to put as many as I can on this website and Mrs Tailby's newletter. Please email your challenges to me via the school office (admin2053@welearn365.com)
Have a great Easter!
Mrs Luckhurst
NSPCC Number Day 3.2.23
Pupils across the school have had a wonderful time celebrating Number Day today. Classrooms were buzzing with maths excitement as pupils participated in challenges, games, quizzes and an outdoor scavenger hunt on a number theme. A highlight of the day was Key Stage 2 pupils playing maths games they designed with Key Stage 1 classes. It was great to see so many pupils and staff dressing for the occasion too. A special thanks go to Year 5&6 Maths Clubs and the School Council who helped organise the event. Many thanks for the donations made to the NSPCC; we raised £326.80.
More photos to follow
Primary Maths Challenge
This week we were extremely proud of the resilience and determination shown by a group of our pupils from Years 5 and 6 who took part in the 2022 Primary Maths Challenge, run by the Mathematics Association. All pupils involved tackled some very tricky problems and puzzles and showed great maths stamina. We are hoping that some pupils will go forward to the 'Bonus Round' in February.
Participation Award
Andrew, Radhika, Florence, Freya, Tatiana & Brooke
Bronze Award
Jacob D-W, Jacob S, Isis, Thomas, Georgia, Rosa, Nayan, Yousef, Henry, Matilda, Oscar, Olivia & Zed
Silver Award
Emily, Jacob, Piers, Grace, Rayyan, Jason, Danny, William, Amelie, Sebastian, Jaime & Monty
Gold Award
Laurie, Lucy, Mihai, Isla, Erin, Priscilla, Patrick
What is Barvember?
Barvember is an initiative, organised by White Rose Maths, to encourage everyone to use bar models by setting daily challenges. We use bar models in school to help visualise and solve mathematical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. Pupils are taught to use them from Year 1 right through to Year Six. To celebrate Barvember, pupils will be participating in weekly bar model challenges. Each week some of the problems will be set on the newsletter. Answers can be found below.
Maths Parent Forums 21.9.22
It was wonderful to see our parent forums so well attended. If you were unable to come along, the PowerPoint presentation and resource packs can be downloaded below.
What's new this term?
KIRFS
KIRFs stands for Key Instant Recall Facts. KIRFs are designed to support the development of mental fluency that underpins much of our maths work in school. They primarily focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Across each Key Stage, there is progression within number facts such as number bonds and times tables, finding factors, fractions & %.
Each half term pupils will bring home a new KIRF sheet - look out for them in your child's school bag. More information and all the KIRF documents can be found on the sub-page above.
Homework
Based on feedback from last term’s parent homework survey, we are changing the way that homework is issued in some year groups.
Year 2: Online School Jam activities will be allocated on the Active Learn platform in the Autumn Term. This will be replaced from January onwards by written activities to practise skills.
Years 3 & 4: Maths learning conversations will be replaced by a weekly written activity to practise key skills these will mainly be linked to KIRFS but may also relate to the content of daily maths lessons.
Year 5 & 6: Weekly written tasks / activities will continue to be handed out. In Year 6 additional tasks will be set as appropriate in the build up to statutory assessments.
See the results of the survey below.
Active Learn
For pupils in Years 1-6, the Active Learn platform have added lots of games which help to practise key skills, many of these are referenced on our KIRF documents. To access the games, pupils need to log in to their account; log ins can be found in reading diaries. Here is the 'how to' guide for accessing the platform.
Maths 2021-22
Summer Term Maths Newsletter
Find out more about what's been happening in school this term by reading our Maths Newsletter.
Summer Maths Activities
Help your child avoid the 'summer slump' by encouraging them to do some maths over the holidays. Even a small amount each week can make difference. Activities have been selected which provide a variety of practice and are ideal for dipping into.
Click on the link below for White Rose workbooks for each year group. These are ideal for summer or can also be used throughout the year for extra practise and consolidation.
KES Maths Quiz
Well done to Emily, Olivia, Tilly, Grace, Nayan, Piers, Jacob and Ollie from Year Four who the represented Bridgetown in the first KES maths quiz since 2019. They did very well against some stiff competition and impressed KES staff and pupils with their mathematical knowledge and teamwork. Next academic year, Mrs Luckhurst will be contacting local secondary schools to try and facilitate more maths enrichment opportunities.
First Mathematics Challenge
In June, pupils from Years 3 & 4 took part in the First Mathematics challenge, organised by the Mathematical Association. The challenge comprised of 20 tricky maths questions, to answer in 45 minutes – no mean feat. We are very proud of all participants. If you would like to have a go at the paper yourself click on the pdfs below.
My Money Week
Pupils from Year R - Year 6 have enjoyed participating in different age- appropriate projects as part of 'My Money Week' this week. We held a 'design a Bridgetown Banknote' competition. All entries were judged by pupils from KS2 Maths Club. Well done to the following winners: Hugo F, Holly B, Thea F, Fabiola, Poppy P, Pippa C, Hattie, Maizie L, Maizie-Lou, Harriet W, Max F, Charlotte F, John & Felix.
We also held a special Rock Star Times Tables Battle, which in some classes was very closely fought. The winners for each battle are: Woodpeckers, Eagles, Puffins, Goldfinches and Swallows. A special mention must go to Woodpeckers who earned an incredible 26,137 coins - the most that has ever been earned in a Bridgetown tournament! Well done Woodpeckers.
My Money Week
13-17th June 2022
Next week is My Money Week - a national activity week for primary and secondary schools that provides an opportunity for young people to gain understanding and confidence in money matters in order to thrive in our society. The week aims to increase pupils’ knowledge and skills in financial matters and important life skills by engaging in different age appropriate challenges, games, puzzles and projects.
If you would like further information about how you can support your child with this important life skill, please see the links below.
Year 4 Multiplication Check
This month (June) pupils in Woodpeckers and Bluebirds will be be participating in the Multiplication Tables Check, which is compulsory for all Year 4 children in England. The online check comprises of 25 multiplication questions.
In school, we are keeping the check ‘low key’ to avoid putting any unnecessary pressure on pupils. However, there will be some opportunities in the weeks leading up to the Multiplication Tables Check for pupils to take part in practice tests in order to familiarise them with the format. Your child may also wish to spend some more time at home on Rock Star Times Tables to practise their fluency in preparation for the test.
More information can be found on the link and pdf below.
Spring Term Maths Newsletter
Find out more about what's been happening in school this term by reading our Maths Newsletter.
Primary Maths Challenge Bonus Round
In November, 30 pupils from Years Five and Six took part in the Primary Maths Challenge, set by the Mathematical Association. Four pupils received a gold award and scored highly enough to enter the Bonus Round in February - the first pupils from Bridgetown to do so.
A huge well done to Daisy (Yr 6) who received a bronze award and Harry (Yr 6), Jovun (Yr 6) and Lucy (Yr5) who received silver awards. We are very proud of their perseverance and achievements.
1 Minute Maths
White Rose Maths have created a free ‘1-minute maths’ app. The aim of the app is to develop pupils’ understanding of number and is great for practising early number skills such as subitising - the skill of instantly recognising the number of items in a group without counting- addition and subtraction. We often use resources produced by the White Rose team and the handy hints and tips provided by the app, match our teaching approach in school. More information can be found by clicking on the link.
We had a huge number of Key Stage 2 pupils participating in the ‘NSPCC Rocks’ tournament on TT Rocks Stars for Number Day. Well done to Woodpecker class who were the Bridgetown winners for most correct answers per pupil.
A special mention to Toby (Eagles) Grace (Woodpeckers) and Piers (Woodpeckers) who were the most valuable players across the school.
A big well done to the following pupils who were awarded most valuable players from their class:
Puffins: Noah, Idris, Freddie
Goldfinches: Rhys, George, Fraser
Bluebirds: Tatiana, Jason, Jacob
Woodpeckers: Grace, Piers, Jacob
Herons: Monty, Sophie Per, Isla
Swans: Lucy, Rayaan, Alexis
Owls: Noah W, Eddie, Jovun
Eagles: Toby, Sam, Rowan
Pupils across the school have had a wonderful time celebrating Number Day today (4.2.22). Classrooms were buzzing with maths excitement as pupils participated in challenges, games, and quizzes on a number theme. It was great to see so many pupils and staff dressing for the occasion too. Many thanks for the donations made to the NSPCC. We raised £372.33! A big well done to Maths Club and the PLT for helping to organise the event.
Autumn Term Maths Newsletter
Find out more about what's been happening in school this term by reading our Maths Newsletter.
On 25th November pupils from Years 5 & 6 took part in the Primary Maths Challenge, organised by the Mathematical Association. The challenge comprised of 25 very tricky maths questions, to answer in 45 minutes – no mean feat. We are very proud of all participants. If you would like to have a go at the paper yourself, a copy of the challenge can be found below.
Gold Award: Harry, Daisy, Jovun (Year 6)
Lucy – (Year 5)
Silver Award: Noah W, Sam, Felix, Remi, Jack, Eddie, Rowan, Eva, Ava, John (Year 6)
Laurie, Mihai, Rayyan (Year 5)
Bronze Award: Niamh, Toby, Marisa, Scarlet Nathan (Year 6)
Nayan, Andimo, William D, Priscilla, Isla (Year 5)
Pupils across the school enjoyed taking part in a range of activities to develop their mathematical thinking. Year groups took their learning outside to solve puzzles, games and challenges. Inside, pupils were encouraged to think about maths in range of contexts, taking part in ‘Maths Fit’ PE sessions and creating some thoughtful art work based on geometry and symmetry. Even returning to remote learning didn’t stop the mathematical endeavours as pupils completed online maths ‘escape rooms’. The Times Tables Rock Star battles were highly contested and every lunchtime the ICT suite was full of pupils taking the opportunity to play online. Congratulations to following classes who won their battles: Eagles, Puffins, Woodpeckers and Swans and to Eagle class who scored the highest class total overall.
Pupils and Staff are looking forward to this year’s Maths Week. Here are some of the activities pupils will be taking part in.
Maths ‘Escape Rooms’ – Pupils will work in small groups to solve maths puzzles and riddles – will they be able to crack the code and escape the room?!
Daily maths games which help practise the key skill of mathematical fluency (a focus for Bridgetown this year) If you would like to play at home please download the document below which has instructions and links to resources.
All pupils will participate in a Number Fit session which combines maths and physical activities.
Pupils will be getting creative with maths, creating art based on Escher, symmetry and geometry.
Pupils in Years 3 -6 will be participating in a Rock Star Times Table ‘rock battle’. The ICT suite will be available at lunchtimes to provide extra playing time.
There will also be opportunities for pupils to participate in webinars delivered by experts from mathematical organisations.
Maths Week Links
Click on the links below to find out more about activities pupils will be participating in and how you can have a go at home.
Maths Games
Click on the links below to find instructions and resources to play some maths games which can be adapted for pupils of all ages.
Number Nought and Crosses
1 child is odd numbers 1 child is even. Take it in turns to place an odd or even number in a 3 x 3 grid. The winner is the child who makes a row / column total 15. This could be changed for Key Stage 1 so that the rows total 10 and pupils could roll a dice to generate numbers instead of being odd / even.
October TT Rock Stars Rock Battle
A huge well done to everyone who took part in this week’s Rock Battle. The winning house was ...RUBY!
It is important to keep practising even when there isn’t a battle on – 5 minutes each day makes a huge difference to times tables fluency.
Very well done to the highest scorers in each house:
Ruby: Toby (Eagles), Eddie (Owls), Jacob (Woodpeckers)
Amber: Finley (Eagles), Harrison (Puffins), Henry (Woodpeckers)
Emerald: Noah W (Owls), Efia (Owls), Maisie Lou (Bluebirds)
Sapphire: Lucy Y (Swans) Piers (Woodpeckers) Sam (Eagles)
Look out for a new rock battle in November!
Times Table Rock Star Hall of Fame
A HUGE well done to the following pupils who have been inducted into this year’s Rock Star Hall of Fame for their amazing efforts at earning so many coins when playing Rock Star X tables for the academic year 2020-21:
Toby – Eagles
Efia – Owls
Nayan – Woodpeckers
Elizabeth – Bluebirds
Idris – Puffins
Jovun – Owls
Wiktor – Owls
Noah – Owls
Jacob – Woodpeckers
Finley – Eagles
Maths Clubs
This term we are running two maths clubs. The Year 3 / 4 Maths Game Club takes place on Thursday lunchtime; pupils have lots of fun solving problems and playing maths games. If you would like your child to take part please email Mrs Luckhurst via the school office.
Year Five Maths Club takes place after school every Thursday. Problems, challenges and enrichment activities help to build confidence and develop maths skills, with the message that EVERYONE can do Maths!
This year in Key Stage 1, we will be using School Jam to support maths learning conversations. School Jam is an app which teachers will use to set a maths activity linked to what has been learnt in school. The app enables parents and pupils to play digital games together, challenge each other at practical activities and watch short maths help videos revealing how pupils are learning maths at school. All Year 1 & 2 pupils have received instructions on how the app works and a log in code. Please contact your child's class teacher if you have any questions.
School Jam Parent Presentation
Maths 2020-21
Summer Maths Newsletter
Find out more about what's been happening in school this term by reading our Maths Newsletter.
A huge well done to the following Year 3 and 4 pupils who entered the First Mathematics Challenge run by the Mathematical Association. Emily C, Nayan D, Patrick O, Rosa C, Jayden S, Theo E, Thomas L, Laurie B, Isla B, Priscilla H, Nayan M, Rayyan H, Lucy Y, Erin H, William D & Joshua W
It is the first time we have run the challenge and we were so impressed by the enthusiasm and perseverance shown by all who took part. If you would like to try the paper for yourself, please click on the links below.
'NSPCC Rocks'
Rock Star Times Tables Tournament
Years 2 -6 were very busy from 7am -7pm on 7th May trying to earn as many coins as possible in support of the NSPCC. A big well done to the following classes:
1st Place - Herons (Year 5)
2nd Place - Swans (Year 5)
3rd Place - Bluebirds (Year 5)
The most tournament's 'Most Valuable Players' were:
Nathan - Swans
Rowan - Herons
Eddie - Swans
NSPCC Number Day
Friday 7th May
The whole school had a wonderful time celebrating Number Day. Our classrooms were buzzing with maths excitement as pupils participated in challenges, games, and quizzes on a number theme. It was great to see so many pupils dressing for the occasion too. We raised £200 for the NSPCC - many thanks for supporting this event.
Spring Newsletter
Rock Battle 19 -26th March!
A huge well done to everyone who took part in this week’s Rock Battle. The winning classes were:
Swallows
Puffins
Woodpeckers
Herons
Owls
It is important to keep practising even when there isn’t a battle on – 5 minutes each day makes a huge difference to times tables fluency.
Very well done to the highest scorers in each class.
Have you enjoyed the Barvember challenges on Mrs Tailby's weekly newsletter? Here is the full set of problems (and answers!) for this month.
Primary Maths Challenge 2020
On 18th November pupils from Years 4, 5 & 6 took part in the Primary Maths challenge, organised by the Mathematical Association. The challenge comprised of 25 very tricky maths questions, to answer in 45 minutes – no mean feat. We are very proud of all participants.
Gold Winners
Helena & Pippa - Year Six
Silver Winners
Ethan & Elizabeth - Year 6
Harry & Daisy - Year 5
Bronze Winners
Maya, Seb, Kuba, Will, Josh - Year 6
Rowan, Niamh & Jovun - Year 5
Maths Week
21-25 September 2020
This week pupils from Year 1 -6 immersed themselves in a range of problems, puzzles, trails and cross curricular challenges inside and outdoors. It was great way to enthuse, excite and prepare pupils for more formal maths learning following a long period of absence from school.
Every day pupils learnt important maths mindset messages and completed problems and challenges (developed by Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford University) to help practise the messages. These included: mistakes make our brains grow, speed is not important, the importance of struggle. Have a look at the links below to find out more about developing a maths mindset.
Maths 2019-2020
NSPCC Numbers Day
We have had lots of maths fun today for our 'Dress up for Digits' Numbers day to support NSPCC. Well done to Jude (reception) and Aaliyah (Year 3) for winning the best dressed prize and thank you to everyone for the donations. We have raised £318.49.
The Pupil leadership team did an amazing job at organising and leading a maths quiz for each class which the children really enjoyed!
Maths Parent Forum 15.01.20
It was lovely to see so many parents at our Maths parent forum on Wednesday evening this week. If you were unable to be there, here is an overview of what was covered through the Powerpoint presentation.
Please scan the QR code to complete a short evaluation of the Maths Parent Forum on 15th January.
World Maths Day
On the 15th October 2019 Bridgetown celebrated World Maths Day. The day encourages children globally to take a break from standard maths lessons. Instead of their usual Tuesday lessons, all children participated in maths-themed games, activities and challenges all day. Throughout the day the children worked together in their houses to earn points . As a finale to the day we had a whole school assembly, where we had our first Bridgetown House Maths Quiz. All the teams did incredibly well. The winning house was Emerald. It was great fun and a day to remember!
Maths Long Term Overviews from the White Rose Hub
Please find below the presentation of our Spring Maths Inspire Workshop. Thank you for all of your support and we hope you found the workshop useful.
The key points covered in the workshop were;
- To outline some of the changes in the maths curriculum
- To share some of the activities that we do in school
- To provide ideas on how you can support your child at home
The Key Skills booklet will also provide you with ideas for quick games you can play with your children at home.
To access our Calculation policy, please click on the following link: