Mathematics

Intent

At Becket Primary School, we aim to ensure that a high-quality mathematics education is provided for all children. Maths enables a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason and problem solve alongside a fluency for everyday life.

We intend to foster pupils’ enjoyment of maths to allow a natural curiosity to develop. We aim for our pupils to be competent problem solvers who are able to apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately across the curriculum. We want our learners to independently follow a line of enquiry, explore numerical relationships and develop a mastery for reasoning using key mathematical language.

We will provide opportunities for self-led learning alongside supported investigations within and across the curriculum. We aim for learners to move fluently between concrete, pictorial and abstract concepts in order to access a range of mathematical and real-life problems.

By the time pupils leave our school, our ambition is to ensure all children are confident in their conceptual understanding of maths so that they can succeed with its real-life application and development beyond KS2.

Implementation

Maths at Becket is a core subject taught within discrete lessons across all phases. All classes follow a mastery approach to Maths with Reception to Year 6 using the White Rose scheme of work. Strands of learning are planned to include an area of focus, key questions to present to the children, challenges for children working at Greater Depth and objective statements to inform formative assessment.

Within Foundation Stage, Maths lessons are structured using the White Rose materials to direct learning and free flow activities within the classroom and in the outdoor learning areas. These activities provide occasions to practice skills in all learning areas. Lessons within Key Stage One are led in order to allow the children time to explore and develop their understanding of number sense. Each lesson is teacher led with further opportunities given for children to demonstrate their understanding through Free Flow and Continuous Provision activities. Fluency Bee is used to support independent demonstration of prior learning. Tasks are set with the intent of reinforcing new concepts with direct links to curriculum objectives leading the learning. Targeted interventions, led by both teaching and support staff, further enable the children to demonstrate mathematical understanding in a whole-class setting.

Lessons within Key Stage 2 take place daily. Each lesson follows a mastery approach where the new area of learning is explored by the teacher in order to model the new skill (I do), the skill is then practiced together through the use of guided questions (We do) and then finally independent worksheets demonstrate understanding of taught objectives (You do). Lessons are planned to include immediate interventions and revisit any noticeable misconceptions from an individual’s learning. This may happen during lessons through 1:1 adult support or during assembly times for small group support.

All staff teaching Maths are expected to plan lessons using objectives from the National Curriculum in order to plan and deliver lessons using the White Rose resources. White Rose long term plans aid teaching staff in creating long term and short term plans in order to teach all objectives effectively. Specific questioning is used by all to monitor and challenge pupil understanding. New vocabulary taught within lessons should be consistently, clearly and simply defined alongside opportunities to regularly revisit terminology. Stem sentences provide the children with opportunities to use this key vocabulary. The resources used to support and embed key mathematical concepts are consistent within all classrooms with manipulatives including Numicon, Cuisenaire Rods and Dienes Blocks being used. Maths Toolkits are used throughout KS2 to embed prior learning and aid with metacognition of key facts and mathematical fluency. Times Table knowledge is supported through the use of TT Rockstars accessed at home and in school. Practice occurs across Key Stage 2 in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4. Within Key Stage 1, Numbots is used to support fluency and number sense.

As a mastery approach, White Rose encourages children with SEND to access the same strands of learning at a adapted level of difficulty. Key questions can be focused on during a lesson to encourage understanding of fundamental concepts. Children are supported in class by teaching staff informed by the individual needs of the child. Challenges for children working at Mastery with Greater Depth are taken from the Reasoning and Problem Solving resources in White Rose as well as other resources such as NCETM booklets. Maths opportunities for all children are provided both internally and externally. Online resources including TT Rockstars and Numbots allow children to access challenge from home and build on their mathematical, conceptual understanding. [removal of Easter school comment] Within school, STEM projects are provided through connections within Our Future and Learn by Design. Additionally, children in Year 6 have access to a number of Landau Forte Master Classes and participate in wider school opportunities such as involvement with charity fayres and events.

Impact

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. Children know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely on in many areas of their daily life.

Children have a positive view of maths due to learning in an environment where maths is promoted as being an exciting and enjoyable subject in which they can investigate and ask questions. Children learn that it is OK to be to make mistakes as this creates new opportunities for learning.

Children are confident to ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem. Our children have a good understanding of their strengths and targets for development in maths and what they need to do to improve. Our maths folders evidence work of a high standard; the range of activities demonstrate good coverage of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Our feedback and interventions support children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be, ensuring a high proportion of children are on track or above.

Our assessment for Maths combines formative teacher judgement and summative assessments. NFER assessments are used between Year 1 and Year 6 containing objectives from the National Curriculum 2014 and take place within the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. Assessment in Foundation Stage is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. In order for progress to be monitored, assessments are completed before a judgement is made and recorded using the assessment stages of Emerging, Developing and Secure.