At a glance
• A new five-year scheme of learning for secondary mathematics
• Designed to maximise progression while allowing for flexibility
• Structured with topic interleaving in mind
• ‘Small Steps’ teachers’ guidance to assist with planning
• Access to a vast bank of expertly created practical resources
White Rose Maths has taken the primary maths world by storm over the last few years, raising the bar among providers of KS1/2 maths education.
More recently, the company has branched out by providing materials for secondary schools that link to the new Ofsted framework, and is already making waves.
White Rose Maths’ impressive secondary offer currently comprises schemes for Years 7, 8 and 10, as well as a GCSE resit scheme. Schemes for Years 9 and 11 will start being released as of summer term 2020, allowing teachers to plan ahead for September.
The schemes divide each term into two 6-week halves that have a common theme. These are then split further into discrete blocks that focus on developing deep understanding, each with their own mini assessment that complements the termly assessments.
What’s immediately obvious is how well these plans are structured, with all activities, instructions and examples clearly presented and free from clutter.
Students’ prior attainment is factored in from the start, with a recognition that students will be working at different speeds, hence the inclusion of overlapping ‘Foundation’ and ‘Higher’ strands.
Within these, teachers can expect to see an interleaving of topics with plenty of time set aside for consolidating and revisiting concepts.
The White Rose Maths teacher notes contain guidance galore, including ideas, tips and remedies for addressing common misconceptions, vocabulary and command words, prompts, models and possible extensions.
There’s also a series of ‘Small Steps’ breakdowns to support teachers’ planning.
The classroom resources include IWB content, a regular ‘Problem of the Day’, various worksheets and daily challenges. It’s clear that a great deal of thought has been put into the learning journeys taken by each year group and how they fit together.
All the materials described here are available to download entirely free of charge, which is quite remarkable given their quality.
Some maths schemes can be almost corset-like, in the sense that they initially seek to support and strengthen the back, but can be over-used and cause muscles to atrophy through lack of exercise.
White Rose’s approach is more akin to breathable sportswear, in that the focus is instead on providing support where it’s needed, while affording the flexibility needed to take account of different abilities and rates of progress.
Ultimately, White Rose is a class act. This is a scheme of learning that can breathe new life into how your school approaches the teaching of maths.
Verdict
• Resources designed to help students think in multiple ways
• Encourages independent and reflective thinkers
• Develops a can-do maths mindset and culture for producing strong and secure learning
• Packed with challenge and high expectations for all
• Brings maths concepts to life
Upgrade if…
You are looking for a rigorous and well-presented set of resources that can help shape confident, happy and resilient mathematicians.
White Rose Maths schemes of learning are free for anyone to download; a range of paid-for premium resources, which includes student worksheets and display versions for teachers, is available via resources.whiterosemaths.com.
Find out more at whiterosemaths.com or by emailing support@whiterosemaths.com.
Plus, you can sample the online training and find out more about it here.
Reviewed by John Dabell
