Our Maths Curriculum

Mathematics is an essential tool for everyday life — a network of concepts and relationships that helps us make sense of the world. It allows us to analyse, communicate, and solve problems, while also inspiring creativity and imagination.
At Maple Grove, we believe that everyone can do maths. We want all pupils to experience the enjoyment of mathematics, develop curiosity, and build a secure understanding of mathematical ideas. We foster a positive ‘can-do’ attitude, promote resilience, and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.

We aim for all pupils to:

Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, developing conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of contexts, including real-life and unfamiliar situations.
Reason mathematically by following lines of enquiry, developing justifications, arguments and proofs using precise mathematical language.
Appreciate number and number operations, enabling them to perform calculations efficiently and accurately.

Our whole-school vision shapes our mathematics curriculum: to help every child realise their potential and become the best they can be, regardless of background or ability.
We teach the National Curriculum through Herts for Learning’s Essential Maths scheme. This carefully structured approach ensures consistent, progressive learning across the school. Teachers also use NRICH, White Rose, and NCETM resources to enrich lessons and provide depth of challenge. Teachers and Learning Support Assistants provide support to ensure a secure understanding for every child.
Teachers use destination questions to assess progress against age-related expectations and inform next steps.

In the Foundation Stage, teachers plan using the EYFS curriculum and Essential Maths for the Foundation Stage, ensuring early mathematical concepts are taught through exploration and play.

Through careful planning and preparation, children experience a wide range of mathematical learning opportunities, including:

Practical activities and mathematical games
Problem-solving tasks
Individual, group and whole-class discussions
Open and closed investigations
Exploring global applications of maths
Using a variety of calculation methods (mental, written, and calculator-based)
Applying maths across the curriculum (e.g. in Science and ICT)
Creative approaches that encourage curiosity, reasoning, and resilience

At Maple Grove, we nurture mathematicians who are confident, curious, and capable — ready to use their mathematical skills to understand and shape the world around them.

Long term plans

Maths progression documents

Maths timetables.

timetable.pdf

36 facts to take us up to 9 x 9 – the building block facts

Year 3	Year 3	Year 3	Year 4	Year 4	Year 4	Year 4	Year 4
2 tt	5tt	3tt	4tt	6tt	7tt	8tt	9tt
2 x 2
3 x 2	3 x 5	3 x 3
4 x 2	4 x 5	4 x 3	4 x 4
5 x 2	5 x 5
6 x 2	6 x 5	6 x 3	6 x 4	6 x 6
7 x 2	7 x 5	7 x 3	7 x 4	7 x 6	7 x 7
8 x 2	8 x 5	8 x 3	8 x 4	8 x 6	8 x 7	8 x 8
9 x 2	9 x 5	9 x 3	9 x 4	9 x 6	9 x 7	9 x 8	9 x 9

8 facts	7 facts	6 facts	5 facts	4 facts	3 facts	2 facts	1 fact
By end of Y3: 21 facts learnt 15 facts still to learn			By end of Y4 15 facts learnt to complete building blocks 21 more facts for times table check (see below)

Year 4: 21 more facts

11 x 2	11 x 3	11 x 4	11 x 5	11 x 6	11 x 7	11 x 8	11 x 9	11 x 10	11 x 11
12 x 2	12 x 3	12 x 4	12 x 5	12 x 6	12 x 7	12 x 8	12 x 9	12 x 10	12 x 11	12 x 12

Principles

Learn as a memorised phrase by repeating sound pattern out loud. Don’t try to derive. If you don’t know – copy down then learn later.
Learn each fact one way round only, then get confident at switching factors.
Don’t think! (about the only time in maths when thinking is unhelpful!) When trying to recall a fact, say the WHOLE number sentence out loud and see if the answer trips off your tongue. If not, try the commutative and see if it comes then.
Learn one new fact at a time. Don’t try to learn the whole times table at once.