Mathematics

Mathematics

INTENT

The National Curriculum for mathematics states that this subject ‘is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment’. The purpose, therefore, of a high-quality mathematics education is to provide 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.

The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.’

IMPLEMENTATION

Our mathematics curriculum is based on the White Rose Maths schemes of work and supplemented, where appropriate, with additional resources such as Maths No Problem, Nrich investigations, NCETM activities to help children make connections within mathematics, to other subjects and real-life contexts. Links are made to previous and future learning in a carefully crafted sequence.

From the EYFS through to Year 6, conceptual development is unpinned by tactile exploration of concrete mathematical models using manipulatives (in an appropriate progression) and multi-representational images in order to support understanding and visualization of abstract mathematical ideas and notation, promote mathematical talk and challenge thinking.

We want our children to be secure in fundamental skills and the key building blocks of mathematics, so emphasis is placed on place value and calculation at the beginning of each year. Parental engagement and use of an online resource (Times Table Rock Stars) support weekly learning of appropriate number facts. Children learn to subitise early, to develop mental and written calculation strategies and to practice skills in estimation throughout the school to develop their sense of number.

Daily 10-15 minute sessions of ‘Number Sense Maths’ have recently been introduced outside the main mathematics lesson, to secure key concepts of number, knowledge of number facts and fluency in EYFS and Key Stage 1. These are continued in lower Key Stage 2, in order to learn and commit times tables knowledge and related division facts to memory. We intend to use Number Sense Maths as a vehicle for catch-up and keep-up intervention at Key Stage 2, thereby preventing cognitive overload in KS2 and facilitating sound written calculation and increased opportunities for reasoned practice of prior learning and mathematical investigation.

In order for learning to ‘stick’ and be committed to the long term memory, resources such as ‘Fluent in Five’ from Third Space Learning or Flashback 4 from White Rose Maths are used at the beginning of mathematics lessons or as Early Morning Work to recall, practice and apply previous learning. ‘Tagtiv8’ resources are also used to consolidate mathematics via active and outdoor learning.

Mathematics is a vehicle for developing children’s oracy: teachers plan key questions and expect all children to engage in active listening and to use stem sentences and repetition within a dialogic classroom; this builds the language and confidence required to express, explain, justify and generalise their mathematical thinking, in words, to others. Mathematical vocabulary and terms relevant to a unit of work should be promoted in every lesson to support understanding by all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL.

At The Icknield, we have adopted an inclusive, mastery approach to promote depth of learning for all, with time to deal with misconceptions, to revisit and practice, alongside opportunities to apply mathematics in reasoning and problem-solving, before progressing to the next step. This enables most children to access an age-appropriate mathematics curriculum at approximately the same pace. To deepen and broaden children’s experience and understanding, both procedural and conceptual variation are built into lessons, using multiple representations.

Entry point into a unit of work is determined by what pupils already know and need to learn. Mathematics lessons should facilitate Guided Practice followed by initial tasks to be completed independently. Struggling learners continue with Supported Practice, where teaching is adapted and tasks are scaffolded as necessary, to enable all pupils to progress and the vast majority achieve the learning intention. Reasoning and problem-solving questions are interwoven for all pupils. Once pupils have completed sufficient questions independently, they are challenged within the lesson to a Deeper Thinking activity.

Whole-class marking and discussion allow misconceptions to be addressed. Daily marking (and self-assessment by older pupils) during/at the end of lessons enables responsive, bespoke intervention (e.g. via verbal feedback and ‘Green for Growth’) to consolidate and practice concepts before the next lesson. Groups for such ‘same-day’ intervention are fluid on a daily basis.

Monitoring via observations, learning walks, planning and book scrutiny, pupil voice and data analysis ensures consistency of approach and early identification of pupils requiring further support at pupil progress meetings.

Baseline and regular low-stakes assessments are used to identify gaps in learning and to inform subsequent planning. Analysis of summative assessments help to identify pupils who are falling behind age-appropriate expectations, as well as high attainers, so that support and challenge can be targeted and progress expected and tracked, in order for the majority to keep up and transition well between years and Key Stages.

IMPACT

We promote a love of mathematics in our pupils by enhancing the curriculum with interactive working walls, number talk, investigation, estimation stations, outdoor and active learning. We endeavour to relate mathematics to school, local and global environments through cross-curricular activities and participating in local and national mathematics events. The golden threads to be developed through mathematics at The Icknield are to develop number sense and the ability and confidence to calculate efficiently, make connections and explain thinking. Thus, our pupils can transition to KS3 with a confident, independent approach to problem-solving and aspire to be the mathematicians of the future.