What I like talking about, though is efficient calculations. I’ve extracted them and made them into their own lesson here. I really believe in talking about this stuff. My year 7s will sit for ages and work out a calculation left to right without even thinking about number bonds.
We’re sometimes so tied to hitting examable objectives that we forget this stuff can be really powerful. My ideal year 7 scheme of work would move away from these skills and move onto covering things a bit more nebulous like ‘Tricks’ or ‘Diagrams’ (drawing bar models etc) so by the time we’re in year 8, we are all efficient and able calculators. I’d also add loads of binary and bases stuff. I don’t really care that it’s not in the GCSE. Stuff can be valuable without being a examined skill in the GCSE.