The number system

Subitising

• Needs to count a small number of objects or dots to work out ‘how many’ (they can’t subitise).
• Unable to identify the number of objects in a collection by partitioning it into smaller quantities (for example, if given 7 objects, they can’t ‘see’ that this is 4 and 3 and use this to know there is 7 altogether).

Counting and ordering

• Finds it difficult to count a collection of objects or pictures accurately
• Finds it particularly difficult to count backwards.
• Makes mistakes when counting aloud – for example 70, 80, 90, 20.
• Finds it hard to ‘count on’ – for example, to solve 6 + 3, they say ‘1,2,3,4,5,6…7,8,9.’
• Finds it difficult to remember what number each numeral represents.
• Muddles ‘teen’ and ‘ty’ numbers (for example 13 and 30).
• Has difficulty ordering numbers.

Place value

• Misreads or miswrites numbers – for example, they record 61 for 16.
• Doesn’t understand the value of digits in two or three-digit numbers.
• Doesn’t understand the value of 0 as a place holder

Older pupils

• Finds it hard to link place value to multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, 1000 etc

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Provide extra opportunities to practise subitising – for example, play games with dice and dominoes that help the child or young person know ‘how many’ without having to count.
• Help the learner to build their own base ten representations such as straws or lolly sticks bundled into 10s.
• Provide sentence starters and stem sentences to support the use of full sentences.
• Pre-teach the language used to access maths lessons – for example, before, after, greater than, less than.
• Provide 1:1 precision teaching (focused on the child or young person’s identified area of need – for example, recall of digits, or fluent recognition of small quantities).
• Plan pre-teaching based on the Connective Model of maths to support understanding.
• Provide 1:1 or small group support. For example –
  • use the ‘Supporting children with gaps in their mathematical understanding‘ materials. These were aimed at children and young people in Key Stage 2.
  • use ‘Spot on with number,’ 1:1 or small group (up to four children). This is for Key Stage 1 children with moderate difficulties in maths, or older children and young people with specific difficulties, including dyscalculia.
  • use ‘From Counting to Calculating,’ a small group intervention to support children who lie just above the bottom 5% in Year 2 and for children older than this who are working significantly behind age related expectations. Contact the Devon maths team.
  • for older pupils, plan support based on the NCETM’s mastery materials.

Support services

• Devon’s Primary Maths team
• Devon’s Educational Psychology Service

Further reading and information

• A Devon approach to supporting children and young people with mathematical difficulties
• Additional classroom strategies from the Primary Maths Team
• Mathematics guidance: key stages 1 and 2 | DfE
• ‘Teaching for Mastery’ statement | Jurassic maths hub
• Every Child Counts

NCETM

• Cardinality and number sense
• Secondary mastery materials
• Numberblocks support materials

Nrich

• Subitising
• Number Sense and Place Value

Models and images

• Models and images to support ordering numbers to 100
• Models and images to support counting on and back in ones and tens
• Models and images to support partitioning and recombining
• Using bead bars

Jurassic Maths Hub Oracy Statement

Resources to share with parents

• 1-minute maths app – White Rose
• Numberblocks | BBC iPlayer
• Teach Your Monster Number Skills (Maths games for 3- to 7-year-olds)
• Subitising | BBC Bitesize
• Numberblocks: See the Amount (a game to support subitising)
• Parent resources | Nrich
• Play games with dice and dominoes
• Counting | BBC Bitesize
• NumBots (for children in years 1, 2 and 3, or older pupils working at this level)