Maths
FPS Maths Curriculum Statement
Intent Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?
Mathematics is an important creative discipline that helps us to understand and change the world. We want all pupils at Flintham Primary School to experience the beauty, power and enjoyment of mathematics and develop a sense of curiosity about the subject with a clear understanding. At Flintham Primary School we foster positive can do attitudes and we promote the fact that ‘We can all do maths!’ We believe all children can achieve in mathematics, and teach for secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through manageable steps. We use mistakes and misconceptions as an essential part of learning and provide challenge through rich and sophisticated problems. At our school, the majority of children will be taught the content from their year group only. They will spend time becoming true masters of content, applying and being creative with new knowledge in multiple ways.
We aim for all pupils to;
• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• be able to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
• have an appreciation of number and number operations, which enables mental calculations and written procedures to be performed efficiently, fluently and accurately to be successful in mathematics.
Using the White Rose to support our planning, we want children to become;
• Visualisers – we use the CPA approach to help pupils understand mathematics and to make connections between different representations.
• Describers – we place great emphasis on mathematical language and questioning so pupils can discuss the mathematics they are doing, and so support them to take ideas further.
• Experimenters – as well as being fluent mathematicians, we want pupils to love and learn more about mathematics.
Implementation What do we teach? What does this look like?
Our maths curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.
At Flintham Primary School, from year 1 to year 6, we use White Rose Maths to plan and teach from, this is also supported by Maths Shed which is aligned with the White Rose. A yearly overview for each year group suggests the teaching time needed for every block of learning. As a school, we have used the mixed age planning documents due to the mixed year group classes (see mapping documents for further detail). The Autumn, Spring and Summer sections are split equally into 12 weeks comprising 11 weeks of blocks with a recap or consolidation week built in. Because the Autumn term often exceeds 12 weeks, teachers might choose to spend longer on the Autumn topics to fully embed them. Each term, the objectives in each block are broken down into a series of carefully planned small steps. Each unit builds upon learning from the previous year group and has been designed so that links between concepts can be made, enabling children to deepen their understanding as well as making connections across the different areas of learning. Where possible, teachers teach the content in the suggested order as the step sequence is designed to gradually develop children’s understanding. (See mapping and progression documents for further detail). Due to the mixed age classes, the units are linked for each year group where appropriate e.g. covering place value at the same time. For those units that do not match, the children may be taught the specific year group content with a separate input or lesson.
It is important to add that progression through the units will depend on the individual needs and the cohort of the children. Sometimes teachers may move through these units at a quicker pace, sometimes they will have to work though at a slower pace in line with the children’s ability. Day to day formative assessment along with summative assessment will ensure that teachers are delivering the lessons at the correct pace and level.
Reasoning and problem solving is embedded within each of the units. In each lesson, children are asked to reason and prove their understanding at a deeper secure level.
The White Rose uses the Concrete, Pictoral Abstract approach (CPA) in order to develop children’s mathematical understanding. Pupils are introduced to a new mathematical concept through the use of concrete resources (e.g. fruit, Dienes blocks etc). When they are comfortable solving problems with physical aids, they are given problems with pictures – usually pictorial representations of the concrete objects they were using. Then they are asked to solve problems where they only have the abstract i.e. numbers or other symbols. Building these steps across a lesson can help pupils better understand the relationship between numbers and the real world, and therefore helps secure their understanding of the mathematical concept they are learning.
One of the key elements in lessons throughout the school should be on developing the children’s mental calculation strategies alongside developing the children’s written calculation strategies as laid out in the Written Calculation Policies for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. (See Calculation Policy for further detail)
A Typical Lesson
Lessons across school typically start with a fluency activity/warm up that builds on previous learning During these sessions’ children will revisit previous teaching not only from the topic currently being taught but also from previous learning. The use of fluency slides as a morning/register activity allow children to move at their own pace, using their preferred methods. The main lesson input is modelled by the teacher and a number of examples are worked through as a group. Children are then encouraged to work independently with scaffolding to support. Concrete apparatus is available to them. Children who have mastered the activity will have the opportunity to further the depth of learning by completing greater dept challenges.
EYFS Maths
In the EYFS, a planning document has been developed especially for early years and reception, linking the White Rose reception guidance and Numberblocks (NCTEM) to give children the foundation and skills they need to progress with their maths and prepare them for maths in year 1. All children have a daily maths session in order to develop their mathematical understanding to meet the needs of the EYFS Early Learning Goals; the two strands of Mathematics taught in the EYFS are Numbers and Numerical Pattern. Each session begins with a fluency fact focus and then moves onto the main part of the session, within which pupils are taught to make connections and apply their understanding of mathematical concepts. To challenge children further, we often have a maths challenge group which supports children in extending their learning; often applying the new skills taught in a context or as a problem. Due to the nature of the EYFS curriculum, there are lots of opportunities for retrieval; revisiting topics throughout each term and using the continuous provision to practise and apply skills taught in lessons.
Flintham Fluency Facts
We have developed ‘Flintham Fluency Facts’ across all year groups. The aim of this if for children to become fluent in key number facts in order to reduce cognitive load when learning new methods and strategies. The fluency facts are progressive from reception to year 6; with some facts repeated and revisited to ensure they become embedded. Again, the pace through this is dependent on individual children and the cohort. We also use the White Rose ‘Flashback Four’ which is a series of quick questions covering topics from the previous lesson, last week and from topics earlier in the year, once again with the intention to recap and ensure essential skills are regularly revisited and retrieved to strengthen retention.
Home Learning/embedding learning
All children have access to their own personal account of ‘Times Tables Rockstar’ where they can compete against other pupils and classes at home as well as Doodle Maths which is designed to reinforce existing knowledge while gradually introducing new concepts. Every week in our special assembly, we celebrate the children who have practised Doodle Maths at home and stayed in the green target zone. We also choose a ‘Doodle Maths Star of the Week’ based on progression made, the number of stars earned or the number of times children have visited the website over the course of the week to practise and embed their maths.
Approach to Feedback
Wherever possible, teachers use AFL to give verbal feedback to children in lessons. Children can then act on this feedback immediately, without having to wait until the next day and act on a piece of written feedback. This feedback will usually be linked to the year group objectives and the discussion involved in this will reinforce the pupil’s understanding and the technical vocabulary relating to the objective. We have a ‘marking code’ which the children are familiar with and this is used in books to indicate the feedback given e.g. verbal feedback. This also shows if children have needed support or worked independently.
Impact
By the end of KS2 we aim for children to be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics with a conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. They should have the skills to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of situations with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios. Children will be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
In order for this to happen, the Mathematics lead and headteacher, take responsibility for the monitoring of the Mathematics curriculum and the standards achieved by the children. The Mathematics leader will monitor for appropriate pitch and progression at least once a term. This monitoring takes the form of:
1. Lesson observations and feedback;
2. Learning walks and pupil voice conversations;
3. Planning scrutiny followed by support where necessary;
4. Book scrutiny termly and book scans frequently;
5. Termly data analysis;
6. Moderation within the Equals Trust Academy.
Data is collected termly via O track. O Track records the progress that pupils are making with their maths work. This will record whether children are working towards the age related expectation, at the age related expectation or exceeding the age related expectation. All teachers contribute to a termly Pupil Progress Meeting with the headteacher where the data is analysed and targets are made by highlighting ‘stuck’ pupils and focusing on next steps.
End of year impact is a measured through end of key stage assessments in EYFS and year 6. Year 3, 4, 5 is assessed using the Summer Term NFER Tests.
Our Curriculum Documents - Mapping and Progression
Whole School Mapping Overview
Whole School Maths Mapping Overview
Whole School Fluency Facts Mapping Overview