Maths at St. Leonard’s
Intent
At St. Leonard’s C.E First School, we believe mathematics is an important part of children’s development throughout school, right from an early age so we want our children to Learn to Love and Love to Learn maths. We recognise the importance of mathematics throughout each child’s everyday and future life. Mathematics enables children to understand relationships and patterns in both number and space in the world around them. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. We intend to give each child the self-confidence and resilience to reach their full potential by ensuring that they have the tools to calculate fluently, reason logically, problem solve and think in abstract ways.
We recognise the value of making a coherent journey through the national curriculum and each year group follows a medium term plan where small, cumulative steps build a solid foundation of deep mathematical understanding. In order to improve our mastery approach and further improve the quality and consistency of our maths teaching, we use White Rose Maths, a high-quality mastery scheme, following the mixed-age planning sequences.
Formative assessment is threaded throughout each lesson and unit of work and appropriate revisions to planning are made by the class teacher to ensure all lessons are tailored to best meet the needs of their children.
It is essential that children have a deep understanding of the most important elements that underpin the mathematics curriculum so that there is consistency and continuity as children move from one year group to the next. Therefore, if necessary, time may be weighted towards those objectives set out in the ready-to-progress criteria (non-statutory guidance provided by the Department for Education, created in partnership with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics).
Intent – What are we trying to achieve?
- Children become confident, competent and independent mathematicians
- Build a deep conceptual understanding of maths and its interrelated content so that children can apply their learning in different situations
- Develop children’s ability to articulate, discuss and explain their thinking using appropriate mathematical vocabulary
- Children make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
- ‘Mistake friendly’ classrooms where children see mistakes as learning tools – there is an emphasis placed upon developing the power to ‘think’ rather than just the ‘do’
- Instil the mind-set in every child and staff member that everyone can do maths and that maths is for everyone
- Children develop into resilient and inquisitive learners – skills needed to become life-long mathematicians
- Deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum, taught by highly-enthusiastic staff, which sparks curiosity and excitement and which nurtures confidence in maths
- A curriculum in line with the expectations in the National Curriculum 2014.
Implementation
Our mastery approach to the curriculum is designed to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts from the Early Years through to the end of Y4.
Teaching and Learning, Content and Sequence
- In school, we follow the National Curriculum and use White Rose Mixed Age Schemes of Work as a guide to support teachers with their planning and assessment.
- Our calculation policy is used within school to ensure a consistent approach to teaching the four operations over time.
- At the start of each new topic, key vocabulary is introduced and revisited regularly to develop language acquisition, embedding as the topic progresses.
- Lessons begin with a short assessment to support retrieval practice and commit knowledge to the long-term memory.
- Children are taught through clear modelling and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. The mastery approach incorporates the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract approach, using objects, pictures, words and numbers to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen understanding at all levels.
Reasoning and problem solving are integral to the activities children are given to develop their mathematical thinking and all lessons will provide opportunities for reasoning.
- Throughout a lesson, children can acquire the skill, apply the skill or deepen the skill. Children who have shown their understanding at a deep level within a unit, will have opportunities to apply these skills in a greater depth activity. This should be challenging and ensure that children are using more than just one skill to be able to answer the mathematical problems.
- 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 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.
Assessment and Feedback
- Assessment informs the teaching and learning sequence. 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 judgements, standardised assessments are completed at the end of each term. To further support judgements, 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.
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.
- The impact of ‘mastery’ and the emphasis on accurate use of mathematical language is evident during class/pupil discussions
- Children are happy learners who talk enthusiastically about their learning and are eager to further their progress in maths
- Each child achieves objectives (expected standard) for year group.
- 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.
