Our philosophy:

At Hardwick Green, our mathematics curriculum is designed to provide all pupils with a deep, secure and adaptable understanding of mathematical concepts. We follow the White Rose Maths scheme as our core framework, which is rooted in a mastery approach. This means that rather than rushing through topics, we focus on depth of understanding, ensuring that children grasp key concepts thoroughly before moving on.

The mastery approach, as promoted by the NCETM and White Rose Maths, is based on the belief that all children are capable of succeeding in mathematics. It emphasises small-step progression, intelligent practice, and the use of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations to build conceptual understanding. Lessons are carefully sequenced to revisit and build upon prior learning, supporting long-term retention and fluency. Teachers at Hardwick Green have the flexibility to adapt the order of blocks within the White Rose scheme based on ongoing assessment, ensuring that teaching is responsive to the needs of each class.

Our curriculum is underpinned by the five big ideas of mastery: Coherence, Representation and Structure, Mathematical Thinking, Fluency, and Variation. Coherence ensures learning is broken into small, connected steps. Representation and Structure help children visualise and understand mathematical concepts. Mathematical Thinking encourages reasoning and discussion. Fluency develops quick and accurate recall of facts and procedures. Variation exposes children to different examples and non-examples to deepen understanding. At Hardwick Green, we apply these principles flexibly, allowing teachers to vary the order and emphasis of content to meet the needs of their pupils.

To support fluency and automaticity, we run a daily Rapid Recall programme from Nursery to Year 4. This involves short, focused sessions at the start of each maths lesson, helping children to embed key number facts into their long-term memory. This complements our broader curriculum by freeing up cognitive space for reasoning and problem-solving.

We also use ‘Do Now’ activities at the start of lessons to implement spacing and interleaving—two evidence-based strategies from cognitive science. Spacing involves revisiting content over time, while interleaving mixes different types of problems and topics. Together, these approaches help pupils to strengthen their memory, make connections across mathematical ideas, and apply their knowledge flexibly.

Our curriculum is inclusive and ambitious for all learners. Teachers adapt the curriculum through support, questioning and representation, ensuring that every child has access to reasoning, problem-solving and fluency activities. We believe in a growth mindset and aim high for every pupil, recognising that attainment can change rapidly with the right support and opportunities.

Maths Curriculum

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An overview diagram of how we teach mathematics at Hardwick Green Primary Academy.
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An overview of the blocks of maths learning taught each term, in each year group, through the White Rose scheme of learning.
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A breakdown of which objective is taught in which term through our curriculum.
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An overview of Nursery scheme of learning for maths at Hardwick Green.
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A progression in the different mathematical terminology children learn through our curriculum.

Maths Calculation Policy

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Rapid Recall

At Hardwick Green, we are committed to building strong foundations in mathematics from the earliest years. Our Rapid Recall Programme is a daily initiative designed to boost children’s fluency and confidence with key number facts. Taking place for 10 minutes at the start of every maths lesson from Nursery to Year 4, these sessions are fast-paced, interactive, and often multi-sensory—making learning both effective and enjoyable.

Each week, children focus on a specific objective, such as number bonds, doubles, halves, or times tables, tailored to their year group. These objectives are carefully sequenced to ensure progression and mastery over time. For example, Nursery children begin with number bonds to 0–5, while Year 4 pupils work towards confidently recalling all multiplication facts up to 12 × 12. You can find your child’s current focus shared via Class Dojo, so you can support their learning at home.

We understand that every child learns differently. That’s why our teachers adapt activities to meet the needs of all learners, including those with SEND. Where children have gaps in their understanding, we provide short, focused interventions—often just five minutes a day—to help them catch up. Parents and carers play a vital role in this process, and we encourage you to get involved by practising together at home.

Why Rapid Recall Matters

Research consistently highlights the importance of foundational knowledge in mathematics. As a school we therefore place a strong emphasis on pupils’ ability to recall key facts quickly and accurately, as this underpins their ability to reason, solve problems, and access more complex mathematical concepts.

Rapid Recall supports this by embedding number facts into long-term memory through regular, spaced practice. This approach aligns with cognitive science principles, which show that frequent retrieval of information strengthens memory and improves fluency. By developing automaticity in basic number facts, children free up their working memory, allowing them to focus on deeper mathematical thinking.

Moreover, the programme promotes independent learning. Children are encouraged to reflect on their progress, identify areas they want to improve, and choose resources that help them practise—fostering ownership and motivation.

How We Assess Progress

Children complete short recall tests each week, with just two minutes to answer as many questions as they can. They then mark their own work as the teacher reads out the answers in full sentences (e.g. “three times four is twelve”), reinforcing correct language and understanding. Scores are recorded privately and tracked over time, helping teachers to identify who needs extra support and celebrate progress.

Each child’s performance is classified into four stages:

  • Trying (1–8 correct)
  • Beginning (9–15 correct)
  • Confident (16–21 correct)
  • Mastering (22–24 correct)

This system ensures that every child is recognised for their effort and improvement, not just their final score.


Rapid Recall Curriculum

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Our list of objectives for each year group detailing which number facts should be learned by heart.

At Hardwick Green, we believe that every child should experience the thrill of being a problem-solver in mathematics. Inspired by Gareth Metcalfe’s vision, our approach ensures that children not only learn mathematical procedures but also develop the resilience, creativity and flexibility needed to tackle rich, challenging problems.

We embed problem-solving deeply into our curriculum through consistent reasoning routines. These include activities like explaining common errors, ranking questions by difficulty, and exploring multiple possible answers. These routines are progressive across year groups and help children become independent thinkers. Importantly, we also prepare children for the emotional journey of problem-solving—acknowledging that confusion and frustration are part of the process, and that perseverance can lead to pride and excitement.

Our teaching strategies include deconstructing word problems to focus attention on key ideas before calculating answers. Children are encouraged to predict missing information, choose appropriate representations, and identify redundant details. We use ‘minimally different’ questions to highlight subtle changes in structure and pair problems with similar underlying maths but different surface features. This helps children make connections and think flexibly.

We also design sequences of challenges that build up problem-solving capacity. Teachers remove barriers by pre-teaching key knowledge or introducing the task format in advance. Tasks are adapted to ensure accessibility, and children are supported to persevere through comparison of approaches, visual modelling, and focused reflection. Follow-up challenges deepen understanding and encourage children to explore the same concept in varied contexts.

This vision is fully integrated into our broader curriculum. We follow the White Rose Maths scheme with adaptations, allowing teachers to reorder blocks based on assessment. Our Rapid Recall programme supports fluency, while ‘Do Now’ activities use spacing and interleaving to strengthen memory and promote flexible thinking.

At Hardwick Green, we don’t just teach maths—we build problem-solvers.