Calculation Booklet 2024 - 2025
This booklet is aimed to help parents who would like to support their daughters with their maths. It is a guide to demonstrate the methods taught and how you can help if your daughter asks for guidance with her maths homework.
The understanding of mathematics, and the ability to use and apply it appropriately and confidently, are key skills fundamentalnot just to schoolwork, but throughout life. It is therefore our aim to give pupils a full range ofmathematicalskills and experiences, and to foster their confidence to make their own decisionsabout how to use and apply mathematics.
Aims for all our pupils by the end of the key stage:
• To enjoy maths and to study it with confidence and a sense of achievement
• To achieve high standards in number fluency and other mathematical skills
• To apply understanding when reasoning and solving problems that involve new methods and concepts
• To be prepared to experiment and to take risks without fearing mistakes
• To be able to make their own decisions about how to tackle their work
• To develop thinking skills through open questioning, independent and collaborative work including investigations.
• To develop maths curiosity and creativity
• To explore and explain ideas using correct mathematicallanguage, symbols and diagrams.
Pupils should take pride and care in the presentation oftheir work. It is important that all work is set out neatly in both classwork booksand homework booksas when methods and workings are clearly set out, simple mistakes are less common.
As a school, we encourage pupils to take risks and to think critically. Having a go is as important as getting an answer correct. Making mistakes can help identify areas for development and are an important part of the learning process; mistakes should never be rubbed out after marking. Teachers may ask pupils to redo a question if a mistake has been made or write out additional questions after marking.
Within the Junior School maths curriculum, calculations are taught progressively with concepts taught in specific year groups.
Homework is only set when necessary to reinforce skills or prepare for the next lesson. As well as set homework, pupils are encouraged to regularly practise their mental arithmetic skills. Homework gives pupils the chance to review, practise and further develop the skills they have learnt in class. The work given should encourage them to develop good homework habits and promote independent learning. Homework provides parents with the opportunity to engage in their child’s maths and while we encourage parents to give a little help or guidance, we ask that homework is completed by your daughter rather than by you.
How to help at home
✓ Make maths fun
✓ Always encourage your daughter to have a go and not be afraid to make mistakes
✓ Try to use correct terminology, for example ‘exchanging’, so it builds on pupils’ place value and conceptual understanding
✓ Discuss which methods your daughter is considering using when approaching a problem as this helps develop mathematical and reasoning skills
✓ Encourage discussions which involve mathematical language and use the school methods for calculating.
✓ Make the most of everyday maths like checking restaurant bills, receipts, calculating discounts, measuring in cooking, reading timetables and the time.
✓ Monitor use of maths apps, like Times Tables Rock Stars, to ensure she has a reasonable amount of screen time.
Mental arithmetic lays the foundations for understanding the four operations. It is essential that pupils learn how the operations are related and can build on counting strategies and secure their knowledge of place value and number facts.
Pupils are encouraged to see if they can complete calculations mentally, or with jottings, before using a formal written method. Mentalcalculations are the basis of all methods ofcalculation and need to be maintained and refined. Fluency and a proficient knowledge of numbers is the result of repetition and practice. In school, pupils are taught a range of mental calculation strategies so they can chooseand use appropriate ones depending on the type of question.
Pupils are encouraged to work mentally, where appropriate, using jottings to support their thinking. Your daughter should use formal written methods when a calculation cannot be solved mentally. By the end of her time in the Junior School, she will be able
to use her toolkit of strategies to decipher whether to solve a problem mentally or with a formal written method.
The standard methods taught in the Junior Schoolare outlined on the following pages. They can be used for any calculation involving numbers and/or decimals. These methods help pupils keep track of their workings. We ask that you support your daughter in using the methods taught in school as a consistent approach supports progression.
Addition method
1. Starting with the ones (units) column, add all the digits in that column.
2. Write the answer below the sum with any ‘carried’ digits below the line in the column to the left.
3. Repeat with each consecutive column to the left.
4. It should be reinforced that when adding tens, for example, girls are not adding 5 + 6, but 50 + 60.
5. When adding decimals, the decimal points must line up. 0 can be written as a place holder to make the calculation easier.
Subtraction method
1. Ensure the larger number is written on top
2. Starting with the ones column, subtract the bottom number from the top number. Write the answer below the calculation.
3. When the top number is smaller than the bottom number you should ‘exchange’ from the column to the left. For example, exchange 1 ten for 10 units, 1 hundred for 10 tens.
4. Exchanged numbers are written at the top left of the column they are going in to.
5. If you cannot exchange from the column to the left, you need to take from the next column first and then you can exchange again.
6. When subtracting decimals, ensure the decimalpoints line up. 0 can be written as a place holder to make the calculation easier.
Pupils will predominantly use the following formal written methods for multiplication. They may be shown alternative methods in the lower schoolto ensure understanding.
Short multiplication method
1. Starting with the ones column, multiply the top number by the bottom number.
2. Repeat with each column to the left.
3. In this method, ‘carried’ digits are written below the line.
4. Numbers below the line should be added on in the next part of the calculation.
5. When multiplying decimals, the decimal points do not line up. Solve the multiplication sum as above and then position the decimal point after.
Long multiplication method
1. Multiply each digit of the top number (starting from the ones) by the ones digit of the bottom number.
2. Multiply the top number by the digit in the tens column of the bottom number, again starting with the ones.
3. Girls should be reminded to write a 0 in the ones column of the second set of calculations before beginning multiplication by the tens column. This is because they are multiplying by tens, not ones.
