Our Approach

At Colham Manor we have carefully selected the White Rose approach for the teaching and learning of Maths across the school. It is a pioneering educational initiative that emphasises a comprehensive and sustainable understanding of mathematics through its emphasis on mastery. It focuses on depth rather than acceleration, ensuring that key concepts are fully grasped before moving on.

What does it mean to master mathematics?  

The mastery method is based on the idea that learning mathematics should be fun and enjoyable. It focuses on developing deep understanding rather than memorisation. This means that it helps children develop self-belief, persistence and resilience. A mathematical concept or skill is mastered when a pupil can represent it in a range of ways, has the mathematical language to communicate connected ideas and can independently apply the concept to new problems in new situations.

Mastery is a journey and long-term goal, achieved through exploration, clarification, practice and application over time. At each stage of their learning, a pupil should be able to demonstrate a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic and be able to build on this over time. It is not about simply memorising key facts and procedures, which often leads to superficial understanding that can easily be forgotten. Pupils should be able to select the specific mathematical approaches that are most effective in given situations.

White Rose Maths offers a 'small steps' progression and yearly frameworks, which allow children to learn at their own pace while still achieving high standards. This inclusive approach helps children develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics by using concrete objects, pictorial representations and abstract thinking.