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Curriculum – Maths

Intent

“Maths is all about becoming a creative thinker, NOT a calculator.” 

At Gilesgate Primary School we are passionate about developing mathematical mastery. Our implementation is developed through secure understanding of the curriculum and subject area. We have a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Children can underperform in Mathematics because they think 
they can’t do it or are not naturally good at it. This is supported by a cultural acceptance that it is OK to say “I’m not good at maths.” Our teaching addresses these preconceptions by ensuring that all children experience appropriate challenge and success in Mathematics by developing a ‘growth mind-set’, which is one of our curriculum drivers. Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child. 

 we intend to ensure that all children: 

  • Become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics and have the resilience and perseverance required to tackle problems and take risks. 
  • Are able to reason mathematically. 
  • Can solve problems by applying their Mathematics in a range of situations across the curriculum in order that they can make connections in learning and master the curriculum which they have been exposed to. 
  • Develop a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. 

At our school, these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of Mathematics. 

Implementation

At Gilesgate Primary School we are passionate about developing mathematical mastery.  Our implementation is developed through secure understanding of the curriculum and subject area.  

 Planning  

  1. Long term: National Curriculum and the statutory framework for Early Years. 
  1. Medium term: White Rose Yearly overview, up-dated and altered in response to assessment (both formative and summative).   
  1.  Short term:  Daily lessons are supported by the use of White Rose Maths materials. Numicon is also used to support and build mastery where appropriate. Teachers use their professional knowledge and understanding of their cohorts to alter these plans to match need.  

Teaching ‘Quality first teaching’ linked to teaching standards:  

All teachers:  

  1. ‘Know where their children are’ through the use of concise summativeand formativeassessment, prior learning and maths talk (both within the daily maths lesson and in the wider curriculum). 
  2. ‘Understand where their children need to be’ through a secure understanding of year group expectations and/orpre-keystage expectations and incisive, ongoing, formative assessment. 
  3. ‘Know how they are going to get them there’ through the use of a range of strategiesand resourcesto promote independence, mastery and high expectations of ALL.  
  4. Effectively deploy adults, specifically during introductions, plenaries & catch-up sessions.
  5. Plan for progression during and between lessons keeping in mind the 5big ideasfor mathematical mastery. 

Learning ‘Quality first learning’  

We work as a team to ensure all of our children:   

  1. have a clear understanding of thehigh expectations set for them and have high expectations of themselves. We make use of our learning zones to ensure that children in our classrooms both expect and enjoy a challenge. Maths lessons will have ‘Purple Learning Challenges’ available. The children are expected to access these challenges when they have demonstrated mastery within the content being taught. These challenges provide opportunity for ‘depth’ of learning rather than acceleration into new content. 
  2.  are confidentin their mathematical learning andare able to reason, justify and  

We make use of White Rose Maths and Numicon resources across the whole school in order to ensure consistency between year groups in the representations and structures which children are exposed to. These representations and structures also include tens frames, part whole models and dienes apparatus. This consistent approach ensures that children can readily move between concrete, pictorial and abstract representations of their mathematics and showcases the different conceptual ideas that underpin a mathematical concept. Procedural variation is also built into daily maths lessons where appropriate in order to provide opportunity for exploration of patterns and relationships as well as discussions around the mathematics they observe. This will develop their ability to “…reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.” 

 

Assessment  

  1. Summative/ diagnostic –PUMA termly assessments Year 1 – 6.  
  2. Formative / ongoing – daily assessments in lessons and White Rose Maths end of unit assessments. We also follow the whole school Marking, Assessment & Feedback policy  
  3. 3. Prior & Post learning – informs future planning,demonstratesprogress in books, celebrates effort and achievement. 

    Impact

    We aim for and expect that all children will achieve well in maths and that they are ready for each successive stage in education and ultimately the move to Key Stage Three. We recognise that some children may not achieve at the age expected standard but we will expect that they will have made good progress from their starting point. We also recognise that some other children will exceed age related standards and we will have deepened learning for these children. 

    Children’s knowledge in maths will build progressively over time because the curriculum is our progression model for maths. Both teachers and parents will be able to see this in children’s maths books and we will be able to see children using maths to record and solve problems in other subjects such as science, geography and design technology. By talking with children, we will be able to gauge their understanding and application of problem solving and reasoning skills and their ability to make links between subject knowledge learned over time.