A Sense of Number
At Corvedale CE Primary School we recognise the importance of establishing a secure foundation in mental calculation and recall of number facts building what we are calling ‘a sense of number’ before standard written methods are introduced. We use a scheme called NumberSense and our own devised programme called Key Recall Facts. They are designed to support the development of the mental skills that underpin mathematics.
When children have quick access to such a bank of facts which incur little cost to working memory, they have more capacity to think about more complex problems that draw on these facts. We believe fluency and conceptual understanding should be developed in tandem because each supports the development of the other. Each year group is allocated key facts to focus on throughout the year, in line with age related expectations.
Whole School Overview of Key Recall Facts (KiRFs)
Children should have quick recall of the multiplication tables. Again once learned children have more capacity to think about more complex problems that draw on these facts. Multipliplication facts are taught through our scheme of work and reinforced using digital resources, such as Times Table Rock Stars and Number Gym Table Trainer, as an effective aid in helping pupils practise times tables.