Fluency is a key part of our maths curriculum. One area that we focus on is to help develop children’s automaticity with key facts. To develop your child’s fluency and mental maths skills, we are introducing KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) throughout school. KIRFS are a way of helping your child to learn by heart, key facts and information which they need to have instant recall of. When children move onto written calculations, knowing these key facts is very beneficial. For your child to become more efficient in recalling them easily, they need to be practised frequently and for short periods of time.

Throughout the half term, the KIRFs will also be practised regularly and in short bursts in school. Over their time at primary school, we believe that - if the KIRFs are developed fully - children will be more confident when working with number, understand its relevance, and be able to access the curriculum much more easily.

How can we access the KIRFs at home?

Each half term, children will focus on a Key Instant Recall Fact (KIRF) to practise and learn at home for the half term. They will be available on our school website and a parent letter will be sent home. The KIRFs include key vocabulary and examples of the key skills, as well as practical ideas to assist your child in grasping the key facts. Each KIRF also contains helpful suggestions of ways in which you could make this learning interesting and relevant. They are not designed to be a time-consuming task and can be practised anywhere – in the car, walking to school, etc. Regular practice - little and often – helps children to retain these facts and keep their skills sharp.

Below is an overview of which facts are taught when.