Mathematics

Implementation

Our mastery approach to the curriculum is designed to develop and embed children's knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts from the Early Years through to the end of Y6.

Teaching and Learning, Content and Sequence

• In school, we follow the national curriculum and use White Rose Maths as a guide to support teachers with their planning and assessment.

• The White Rose calculation policy is used within school to ensure a consistent approach to teaching the four operations over time, ensuring fidelity to the scheme. In addition to daily Maths lessons, we practise arithmetic daily (4-a-day) to embed strategies for effective calculation.

• At the start of each new topic, key vocabulary is introduced and revisited regularly to develop language acquisition, embedding as the topic progresses. This can be found on the Maths Working Walls in every classroom.

• Children are taught through clear modelling and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. The mastery approach incorporates using objects, pictures, words and numbers to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen understanding at all levels, as part of an interacive lesson.

• Children work on the objectives together; support and adaptations are used to ensure all children achieve.  Children can ACQUIRE the skill, APPLY the skill or DEEPEN the skill within the lesson. We focus on children 'keeping up' on their Maths journey, so they don't have to 'catch up.' Staff use the 'ready to progress' end points, that are in line with the white rose small steps, to ensure children are ready to move on. (see file attached)

• Children move through the different small steps of their learning at their own pace. Small steps objectives may cover one or more lessons, or even half of a lesson. The experienced teachers use their knowledge of the children and Question Level Analysis (QLA) to adapt the curriculum accordingly. This may include breaking the small steps down further, posing further reasoning questions or using the White Rose challenge and reasoning cards to deepen thinking.

• Children who have shown their understanding at a deep level within the unit, will have opportunities to apply these skills in a GREATER DEPTH activity, to develop reasoning skills further. This should be challenging and ensure that children are using more than just one skill to be able to answer the mathematical problems.

• Reasoning and problem solving are integral to the activities children are given to develop their mathematical thinking.

• Resources are readily available to assist demonstration of securing a conceptual understanding of the different skills appropriate for each year group.

• Children are encouraged to explore, apply and evaluate their mathematical approach during investigations to develop a deeper understanding when solving different problems / puzzles.

• A love of maths is encouraged throughout school via links with others subjects, applying an ever-growing range of skills with growing independence.

• Children with additional needs are included in whole class lessons and teachers provide adaptive teaching, including scaffolding and relevant support as necessary. For those children who are working outside of the year group curriculum, individual learning activities are provided to ensure their progress. 

Leadership, Assessment and Feedback

• Assessment informs the teaching and learning sequence, and children work on the objectives they are assessed as being at, with fluid boosting available within a ‘keep up, not catch up’ culture.
• Feedback is given on children’s learning in line with our feedback policy. Formative assessment within every lesson helps teachers to identify the children who need more support to achieve the intended outcome and who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through planned questioning or additional activities.
• In order to support teacher judgments, children may be assessed using current and reliable tests in line with the national curriculum for maths. Gap analysis of any tests that the children complete is undertaken and fed into future planning. Summative assessments are completed three times per year.
• The maths lead has a clear role and overall responsibility for the progress of all children in maths throughout school. Working with the SLT and assessment lead at pupil progress meetings, key data is analysed, and regular feedback is provided, to inform on progress and future actions.

Impact

• Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recollection of the times table.
• Children show confidence in believing that they will achieve.
• Each child achieves objectives (expected standard) for the year
• The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of maths.
• The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons.
• Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations.
• Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work

Pupils are introduced to a new mathematical concept through the use of concrete resources (e.g. fruit, dienes, counters, blocks etc). When they are comfortable solving problems with physical aids, they are given problems with pictures – usually pictorial representations of the concrete objects they were using or illustrations of real life objects. 

Then they are asked to solve problems where they only have the abstract i.e. numbers or other symbols. Building these steps across a lesson can help pupils better understand the relationship between numbers and the real world, and therefore helps secure their understanding of the mathematical concept they are learning.

At St Peters, learners have access to resources in the classroom and use pictorial representaions in their work books. They also solve problems that involve recordings and showing their methods in abstract form.