Year 4 - Multiplication Times Table Check
On the 5 February 2020 the school held a meeting for parents of children in Year 4 to explain about the new Times Tables Check that starts this year. The content from the meeting is reproduced here for reference.
What is the purpose of the check?
To determine whether year 4 pupils can fluently recall their multiplication tables.
To help schools to identify pupils who require additional support.
There is no ‘pass’ rate or threshold.
The DfE will create a report on overall results across all schools in England to measure improvements.
When will the check be carried out?
There will be 3-week window in June for the administration of the check.
There is no set day to administer the check.
Children are not expected to take the check at the same time.
All eligible year 4 pupils England will be required to take the check.
How will the check be carried out?
The check will be fully digital and take place on screen.
Children will be able to use laptops, desktops and tablets.
Answers will be entered using a keyboard or by pressing digits using a mouse or touchscreen using an on-screen number pad.
Under standard administration* the multiplication check will take less than 5 minutes per pupil.
Children will get 6 seconds from the time the question appears to input their answer.
There will be 25 questions with a 3 second pause in-between questions.
Specific arrangements for the check.
Children with additional needs, who have similar provision in their day-to-day learning at school, may be allotted specific arrangements, including:
Colour contrast;
Font size adjustment;
‘Next’ button (alternative to 3-second pause);
Removing on-screen number pad;
An adult to input answers;
Question reader;
Audible time alert.
The Questions
Each pupil will be randomly assigned a set of questions.
There will be repeated questions across different checks each year, but no more than 30% of questions will be repeated in any two checks.
Children will only face multiplication statements in the check (not related division facts).
Pupils will not see their individual results when they complete the check.
During the check
There will always be questions from the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 multiplication tables in each check.
There will be no questions from the 1 times table (i.e 1 x 8 or 8 x 1).
The 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables are more likely to be asked.
There will only be a maximum of 7 questions from the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.
Reversal of questions will not feature in the same check.
Multiplication Table limits
The STA state that they are classifying the multiplication tables by the first number in the question. For example, 8 x 3 would fall within the 8 times table.
Questions more likely to appear
The following 11 multiplication questions are more likely to be asked:
6 x 6, 6 x 7, 6 x 8, 6 x 9, 6 x 12
7 x 8, 7 x 9, 7 x 12
8 x 9, 8 x 12
12 x 12
Before the check
Children can practise before taking the check
There will be a ‘try it out’ area the children can use to become familiar with the timings and layout of the check.
How does the school teach times tables?
Teaching times tables facts first:
Counting and looking for patterns
Repeated addition
Multiplication is commutative
Multiplication is the inverse of division
Number families
Use of different representations
Concrete manipulatives such as counters or multilink cubes
Pictorial representations such as arrays
How can I support my child with the times tables check?
Firstly, a positive attitude goes a long way – so as much encouragement and support as possible (but we don’t need to tell you that)!
Some further tips:
Make times tables fun;
Climb stairs counting in multiples
Play verbal times tables games
Listen to and learn times tables songs
Take it in turns to say different times tables in funny voices (i.e. say 2 x 3 = 6 in a lion’s voice)
Play online maths games
Talk directly to your child’s class teacher if you have any worries (try not to worry your child);
Encourage your child to talk to you, their teacher, or another adult they trust, if they express persisting anxieties about the check. Remember that a small amount of anxiety is normal and not harmful.
Use Times Tables Rock Stars – the log in is at the front of your child’s reading diary.
Remember these facts
The check will focus on what they know about times tables
It won’t reflect their understanding of wider mathematical topics.
The check is only 5 minutes long
For most children, the check will last for a maximum of 5 minutes. When they have finished, they will not need to repeat the check, regardless of their final score.
Useful links
Stanmore Post - 7 February 2020
Dear Parents,
An important part of our school curriculum and our wider work within school, includes our aim to support all children to be confident, resilient and independent, and to develop strength of character. As you will be aware, at Stanmore we use the ‘Keys for Success’ to provide a framework for this. Our Keys represent six learning behaviours: Co-operation, Respect, Resilience, Persistence, Organisation and Confidence.
Each week, we look for ways to promote, recognise and celebrate these learning behaviours. Sport is a fantastic way for children to develop strength of character using our Keys for Success. As part of our ongoing work to achieve our Silver school games award; this week a team of Year 5/6 children have taken part in a Winchester and Eastleigh Cross Country event. Two of our children: Seth Noott and Thomas Megoran came within the top 20 and will now proceed to the District Cross County Competition. Congratulations. Stanmore Primary School will also host a Winchester Schools Rugby event later this term.
Best Wishes
Sharon Taylor
Elm class create their very own unusual creatures
This is some of the fantastic work Elm class have completed this week. Using various parts of creatures, Elm class were asked to design their own weird creatures. With the creature, they then had to use similar language, layout and humour found within your text to write their own entry.
They absolutely loved doing this! So we wrote to the author of the book that inspired us to say, “Thank you for creating such an amazing book, which has allowed these 10-11 year olds to see that writing non-fiction can be fun!”
We were super excited when he replied:
“This is the best! Thank you for sending. I especially love the Israeli blowhoaltopus! And the narlightapus, which can crush fishing boats. Haha. You have some amazingly talented kids in your class, and I definitely see some budding authors and illustrators.”
Friends of Stanmore - waterproofs, labels and a quiz
The Friends were super proud and excited with the purchase made this week! Year R received a class set of waterproof outdoor wear to help extend their outdoor learning opportunities. The teachers and children were delighted with their new equipment and it was all done with the amazing support we receive from all of you parents!
You may have noticed the new posters on our notice board this week, the FoS have created a new partnership with ‘Stikins’ name label company, more information should appear in your children’s book bags next week :)
Lastly, please let me remind you about our upcoming adult quiz night on Friday 6th March, we are aware you may need babysitters or time to get up-to-date on your quiz question knowledge :) we hope to see many of you there!
We hope you enjoyed your extra day at home with your children
Many Thanks,
Rachel, Hayley, Jen and Amy
Cross Country Running
On Wednesday 29th January, children from KS2 participated in a cross-country event at Knightwood Leisure Centre, Eastleigh.
The children running were very resilient, despite the muddy field, the distance and the cold conditions; they persevered! It was such a pleasure to see them support each other by either cheering from the side or running alongside their peers.
Miss Kelly and I were so pleased to see the number of children who attended and who represented Stanmore Primary in such a positive way. We were so proud of all of them for running a long distance and we are even more delighted to have seen Seth Noott take 1st place and Thomas Megoran take 3rd place in the boys’ race.
We are now looking forward to Thursday 6th February, when the cross-country team will compete for a chance to enter the district championships!
Stanmore Post - 31 January 2020
Dear Parents,
In our English Curriculum this week there has been a focus on Poetry. We are giving children the skills that they need to master reading but we also aim for them to love reading and be able to select books based on an understanding of what makes an enjoyable read. Enjoying the rhythm, rhyme and use of language in poems is a really effective way to promote this. Through poetry, the children are encouraged to make choices and engage in reading. Children across the school have been enjoying talking about their responses to the poems, and exploring their likes, dislikes and how the poems make them feel. Throughout the school I have heard children learning, reciting and performing poems.
If you would like to share any of these poems with your child/ren, these are some of those used during the week.
Year 1/2
‘Out of the Fire, a Spark’ by Michaela Morgan
Spring’ by Deborah Alma
‘The Seedling’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar
‘Child’s Song in Spring’ by E. Nesbit
‘Caterpillar’ by Christina Rosetti
‘Snow Fox’ by Liz Brownlee
Year 3/4
‘He Thinks of his Past Faces’ by John Canfield
‘Fire’ Read aloud by Brian Moses
‘The Way Through the Woods’ by Rudyard Kipling
‘Shadow Boy’ by Kate Wakeling
Year 5/6
‘Front Door’ by Imtiaz Dharker
‘Becoming the Eagle’ by Jan Dean
‘Chameleon Kids’ by Matt Goodfellow
‘Instructions for Not Becoming a Werewolf’ by Abigail Parry
Next week, parents are invited into school to find out more about the Early Years Curriculum and the Year 4 Multiplication Times Tables Check. Miss Evers will explain more about the purpose of the multiplication check, which will be used to determine whether Year 4 pupils can fluently recall their multiplication tables. Miss Day will also be explaining more about what is involved in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. Parents are welcome to come into school to find out more on Wednesday 5th February at 2:45pm and 6pm. The meetings will be held in Sycamore and Catkins Classes.
Recently we were successful with an application to the Local Schools Nature Grant. We were one of 100 schools chosen, from 1572 that applied. As a result, we have some fantastic outdoor equipment for ‘loose parts’ sculpture and den building. Children in Catkins will begin using this next week and will start to invite other classes to join them at lunchtimes for outdoor learning and play after half term. Have a look at our photos from our excellent training session led by Learning through Landscapes.
New equipment to help out outdoor learning
Recently we were successful with an application to the Local Schools Nature Grant. We were one of 100 schools from 1572 that applied. As a result we have some fantastic outdoor equipment for ‘loose parts’ sculpture and den building. Children in Catkins will begin using this next week and will start to invite other classes to join them at lunchtimes for outdoor learning and play after half term. Have a look at our photos from our excellent training session led by Learning through Landscapes.
A great big thank you to the Friends of Stanmore
The FoS have been working alongside the school and teachers to help fund some useful and needed resources for the children, so far we have purchased lots of fun games, guided reading books and some rather cute waterproof sets. The beaming smiles of the staff tell you how great it is to be supported by a great team in our Friends of Stanmore.
Mrs Spencer-Clark and Miss Day with educational games for Year R
Mrs Mason with games for Ready 2 Learn
Mrs Laver with new books for Year 6
Hazel class have been exploring the world through poetry and geography
Hazel class have enjoyed poetry week this week. Some of the children have been writing their own poems, enjoying some classic poetry about change and listening to some of Mr Reads favourite poems, including "Chocolate Cake" by Michael Rosen.
There have been lots of smiles but also considerate reflections on the messages that the poems have tried to get across to the reader. We have also begun work on our treasure islands with the children enjoying working with mod rock, some for the first time. It has been great to hear the children's imaginations working with them saying how this part contains the secret mine shaft and this part is the misty mountain. We are looking forward to painting them and seeing them come to life.
Today we carried on with our geography, making a map of the world on the carpet. We then used our knowledge of the continents and oceans and where they are positioned to give clues for someone to guess the name of an outline of a continent. The children were using terms such as equator, hemisphere, borders and the compass directions as clues.
Test them at home, or maybe even get them to test you!
Cultural Discoveries in Ready to Learn
This week in R2L, the team have been travelling the world in search of different cultures. Earlier in the week, the team had the challenge of creating a pyramid out of spaghetti and marshmallows. The team needed to show a degree of persistence and resilience as the spaghetti was rather brittle and would break if we were not careful. Lots of different structures were designed and the team tried to be the best that they could be!
Later in the week, the team explored the significance of the Chinese New Year. We discovered that 2020 is called the Year of the Rat we immersed ourselves in the festival spirit ending the week by making paper fortune cookies, Chinese lanterns and a paper dragon made from our hand prints. Our target this week was to understand that we can’t always be first.
By the end of the week, team R2L understood that “Team work makes the dream work!”