Maths Passport at Swain House Primary School
Since the introduction of the 2014 National Curriculum for Maths there is a very clear emphasis on the importance of children knowing their number facts and times tables thoroughly and having instant recall of this information. The expectation outlined in the National Curriculum is that children will ‘recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up 12 x 12’ by the end of Year 4, (Department for Education Statutory Guidance National Curriculum in England: Mathematics programmes of Study 16 July 2014) and this will be tested in a times table check at the end of Year 4. Following this, we have introduced a new mental Maths programme called ‘Maths Passports’, starting in Reception and progressing through to Year 6.
Maths Passports are a personalised way of learning as the children are challenged in the passport at a level that is appropriate for where they are working at. They progress at their own speed onto the next stage. Each child will be given a passport with a series of targets set out in continents. These targets get progressively more challenging through the school. The children will develop instant recall skills in all the objectives – they should not be taking time to work out the answer to each question; they need to know it instantly. Following the completion of their passport, pupils will move onto their NASA passport.
The aim is for children to complete their continent passport by the time they are in Year 4. Then moving onto their NASA passport.
1. The passport targets are incorporated into the children’s oral and mental starters on a regular basis.
2. Children are assessed on these targets once a week by completing a timed task.
3. When children have met an objective on three separate occasions, the target has been achieved.
4. Children continue to practice and be assessed on the remaining targets until all of the targets for a continent have been achieved. Once all targets are achieved, pupils will go for their passport test. Once achieved, they can then move on to the next continent and a new set of targets.
How to help at home
We would ask that you spend 10 minutes each day practising your child’s passport skills with them. This could be walking to school, in the car, at teatime, before bed – it does not need to be a sit down, formal time.
Maths Passports are a personalised way of learning as the children are challenged in the passport at a level that is appropriate for where they are working at. They progress at their own speed onto the next stage. Each child will be given a passport with a series of targets set out in continents. These targets get progressively more challenging through the school. The children will develop instant recall skills in all the objectives – they should not be taking time to work out the answer to each question; they need to know it instantly. Following the completion of their passport, pupils will move onto their NASA passport.
The aim is for children to complete their continent passport by the time they are in Year 4. Then moving onto their NASA passport.
1. The passport targets are incorporated into the children’s oral and mental starters on a regular basis.
2. Children are assessed on these targets once a week by completing a timed task.
3. When children have met an objective on three separate occasions, the target has been achieved.
4. Children continue to practice and be assessed on the remaining targets until all of the targets for a continent have been achieved. Once all targets are achieved, pupils will go for their passport test. Once achieved, they can then move on to the next continent and a new set of targets.
How to help at home
We would ask that you spend 10 minutes each day practising your child’s passport skills with them. This could be walking to school, in the car, at teatime, before bed – it does not need to be a sit down, formal time.
The objectives for each country/continent and ideas for how you can help with each objective at home are on the linked pages.