An Article by Rebecca Holland – Footprints Federation
Many schools are adopting a Teaching for Mastery approach in mathematics. The starting point for a school is usually Year 1 and then thought is given as to how the approach is built across KS1 and KS2. Schools naturally want to consider the teaching of mathematics in Reception and how the transition to Year 1 can best support children’s learning.
This year, the West Yorkshire Maths Hub is running Work Groups focusing on exploring best practice in Early Years and how quality and effective principles can build a secure foundation in mathematics, for transition into a Teaching for Mastery approach in Year 1. This year’s EYFS Work Group will consider the curriculum – what children need to know and understand; approaches to planning and the inclusion of all children and appropriate resources and contexts for effective learning.
Click here for further details about the Work Group and to express an interest visit
Numberblocks
First broadcast in January 2017, Numberblocks is a pre-school BBC television series aimed at introducing children to early number. Each episode consists of snappy animation and lovable characters combined with engaging story lines to gently introduce concepts of number to support early mathematical understanding.
The NCETM materials to support the maximum utilisation of each episode can be accessed here
Each support material uses each episode as a launch pad. They are designed to assist Early Years (and also Year 1) practitioners to confidently move on from an episode, helping children to bring the numbers and ideas to life in the world around them.
The ‘Talk and Discuss Together’ section
This section provides a set of slides, designed to be used with children after they have watched the episode. They 
provide a stimulus to talk about what children have noticed, and draw their attention to key aspects of the mathematics. The notes give ideas for supporting mathematical talk and engaging children in practical activity; some slides have animation to illustrate mathematical concepts.
‘Enabling Environments’ section
The ‘Enabling Environments’ section gives suggestions for extending the mathematics into the wider Early Years environment where children will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful activity and explore mathematical concepts independently or with their peers