Wales Primary SchoolMathematics
Curriculum Drivers
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Our vision for learning (Quoted from Teaching and Learning policy)
The vision for our school is to provide our children with the best possible start in life through the provision of a vibrant, engaging and relevant curriculum where children are challenged and inspired to excel. We strive to develop a community of life-long learners who are ready to succeed in the 21st century.
Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Mathematics Intent, Implementation and Impact
Intent
At Wales Primary School, our intent for mathematics is to teach a rich, balanced and progressive curriculum using maths to reason, problem solve and develop fluent conceptual understanding in each area. Our curriculum allows children to better make sense of the world around them by making connections between mathematics and everyday life. Teaching curriculum content in blocks allows children to explore skills and knowledge in depth and gain a secure understanding of particular subject matter. Key knowledge and skills are also revisited regularly allowing repetition to embed learning. A concrete, pictorial, abstract approach provides children with a clear structure in which they can develop their depth of understanding of mathematical concepts. We aim to ensure that mathematics is a high profile subject which children view positively and with a ‘Can do’ attitude.
As a school we follow the National Curriculum for Mathematics. The National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent practice with complexity increasing over time.
- Develop conceptual understanding and ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- Reason mathematically; follow a line of enquiry, conjecture relationships and generalisations.
- Develop an argument, justification and proof by using mathematical language.
- Problem solve by applying knowledge to a variety of routine and non-routine problems breaking down problems into simpler steps and persevering in answering
Implementation
Our curriculum is frequently reviewed to ensure that is it current and effective, and that teachers are supported and aided in their teaching of mathematics through appropriate high quality CPD ensuring confidence in the skills and knowledge that they are required to teach. We continually strive to build upon the excellent understanding of the expectations of the curriculum that our staff have. We achieve this through regular quality CPD which is provided through the subject leader, external courses, collaborative work following on from internal monitoring and work with the South Yorkshire Maths Hub. All staff are encouraged to raise questions, seek support and request further training if needed in order to ensure everyone is confident in what they teach. Good practice is always shared between staff and all CPD is used to inform teaching and learning across school. Resources and equipment are audited regularly so that children have materials of high quality and accuracy to support their learning. Our resources allow us to better use models and images to support learning in each area and enable the progression from concrete to pictorial to abstract. Children are familiar with these resources and can access them independently where needed.
Curriculum maps are based on the White Rose yearly overviews which set the curriculum out in blocks enabling children to get to grips with different areas of maths through extended periods of time. Alongside the White Rose materials, we use other resources to ensure that our offer is rich and varied. These include NCETM, NRich and Third Space Learning. We ensure our maths is strongly tied in with real life so our children see and understand the purpose of maths and how it is used daily. Number sense is embedded in Early Years and Key Stage 1 and plays a crucial part in developing mental calculation strategies. This continues through lower Key Stage 2 where pupils need to consolidate their basic number mental strategies. Teachers also implement the school’s agreed calculation policies for progression in written and mental calculations. Pre assessments are used and – where appropriate - post assessments along with termly assessments which help teachers to gather an understanding of their pupil’s existing and developing knowledge and skills.
Mathematical vocabulary is used consistently by all staff and this is discussed with and explained to children who are then encouraged to use it independently when talking about maths. Vocabulary is displayed clearly on working walls and is referred to in every lesson with written and visual representations. Interventions for maths are bespoke and either done as ‘pre teaching’ or ‘responsive’ soon after the learning has taken place to ensure ‘keep up’ not ‘catch up’. Fluency is developed through repeating, reinforcing and revising key skills; regular arithmetic takes place in all classes. Children are given time to practise and perfect their calculation strategies including giving pupils the opportunity to make appropriate decisions when estimating, calculating and evaluating the effectiveness of their chosen methods encouraging the most efficient method be it a mental calculation or written calculation.
Feedback is given in a variety of ways to ensure pupils are well informed and making visible progress. Discussion is essential to learning and children are encouraged to discuss their thoughts, ideas and methods with a partner, group or the teacher. Task types are varied to suit different pupils and their learning preferences; developing reasoning is a key focus where we encourage children to use the language of reasoning in verbal and written answers. Children work both collaboratively and independently when solving problems which require them to persevere and develop resilience.
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; they know that it is reasonable to make mistakes because this can strengthen their learning through the journey to finding an answer. 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 books evidence work of a high standard of which children clearly take pride; the components of the teaching sequences 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 school standards are high; we moderate our books both internally and children are achieving well.
To find out more information about the National Curriculum for this subject & others, please click here
Maths at home
Want to continue your Maths learning at home?
Have a look at some of these ideas:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/daily10
Daily 10 is a primary maths resource for everyone which covers addition, subtraction, ordering, partitioning, digit values (place value), rounding, multiplication, division, doubles, halves and fractions. It has been designed primarily for use on an interactive whiteboard. The aim is to help teachers deliver 10 maths questions many which can be used for mental maths practise.
Children can have a go at consolidation their addition and subtraction skills through playing games.
Children can develop their multiplication and division recall skills.
Books to support our learning in Maths
A mathematician like me
by
Striking illustrations and an empowering story combine to introduce young readers to the world of maths, creative thinking and problem-solving.
Setting off on a camping adventure with her cousin, Aliyah soon discovers that numbers are everywhere, whether it's counting out money at the shops, planning trips on the train or even stargazing in a forest. As Aliyah solves some sums of her own, she learns about the brilliant mathematicians who have helped us understand our world. Soon she can't wait to become a maths whizz too!
How many legs?
by Kes Gray
From the award winning creators of Oi Frog! comes an hilarious counting picture book about our four-legged - and two-legged and eight-legged - friends!
How many legs would there be if a polar bear came for tea? How high would the leg count go if a squid rode in on a buffalo? As more and more animals join in the fun, count along if you can!