Maths

Mathematics

Intent

At Christ Church our children are Mathematicians! Our Maths curriculum is inclusive and provides exceptional learning experiences which develop all learners including the more able and those children with additional needs. Maths is a skill we use on a daily basis and is an essential part of everyday life. Therefore, mathematics forms an important part of our broad and balanced curriculum where we endeavour to ensure that children develop an enjoyment and enthusiasm for maths that will stay with them throughout their lives and empower them in future life.

Our aim is to build a curriculum which inspires a positive attitude and interest towards Mathematics. We provide high quality Maths lessons which are engaging, interactive and build upon children’s prior learning, resulting in the acquisition of knowledge and skills so that all pupils know more, do more, remember more.

We have adopted a mastery approach in order to deliver the three aims of the National Curriculum, fluency, reasoning and problem solving.  Mastering Maths means pupils of all ages and abilities acquiring a deep, long-term, secure understanding of the subject. Underpinning this pedagogy is a belief that all children can achieve and excel in Mathematics.

Our commitment is to ensure that our children recognise the importance of Mathematics in the wider world and that they are able to use their Mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. Children will be encouraged to develop their curiosity about the subject, to work together and support each other in their learning and to appreciate the empowerment of its use.

Implementation

We plan our learning with a mastery approach to the curriculum with number fluency at the very heart. A significant amount of time is spent reinforcing number in order to build competency and ensure children can confidently access the rest of the wider curriculum. In addition, we provide regular opportunities to revisit previously learned skills. We develop high learning potential by ensuring that children acquire depth of knowledge in each concept. Reasoning and problem solving takes place daily giving children opportunities to calculate with confidence and allowing children to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. 

Following the White Rose Maths Scheme, we aim to provide all children with full access to the curriculum through use of the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract) approach. This is where children have the opportunity to work with physical objects/concrete resources, in order to bring the ‘Maths to life’ and to build understanding of what they are learning. Alongside concrete resources, children work with pictorial representations, making links to the concrete. Visualising a problem in this way can help children to reason and to solve problems. With the support of both the concrete and pictorial representations, children can develop their understanding of abstract methods. The CPA approach enables all children to develop independence, confidence and competence, in order to be resilient independent Mathematicians who are well equipped to apply their learning throughout the school curriculum and beyond.

We use White Rose Maths Scheme of Learning to deliver our Mathematics curriculum from Reception to Year 6. It offers a framework to teach the  Mathematics Programme of Study as laid out by the National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Teachers also use the DFE Ready to Progress materials to inform their planning.

The White Rose Maths curriculum is a spiral curriculum, so that once a topic is covered it is met many times again in other contexts. The White Rose Mathematics approach is all about mastery so at Christ Church we ensure that children have strong foundational knowledge and understanding before progressing onto more advanced topics. Deep learning is encouraged to ensure children develop a strong and lasting understanding of concepts that can be built upon in future lessons.

We ensure that time is scheduled to allow children to revisit what they’ve learned so that they can consolidate their knowledge which we do using daily ‘flashback’. There is a focus on improving children’s Mathematical literacy through using true-false statements and odd one out activities where children have to explain their reasoning and calculations. We believe these strategies will enable children to know more, do more, remember more.

From EYFS to Year 6, we adhere to our Calculation Policies for Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division which outlines the progression of strategies and methods to be taught for each year group.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Our Maths lessons are structured to enable all pupils to have the same opportunities to learn as they progress together.  There is always a daily focus on mathematical vocabulary and a number based arithmetic task. Children with SEND and additional needs are provided with supplementary concrete resources, scaffolding, stem sentences and pictorial representations to support them to ‘keep up.’  High attaining pupils are given the chance to consolidate and deepen their understanding with more challenging tasks and activities within the same learning objective.  We also use challenging activities from nrich to engage and promote Mathematical thinking and problem solving skills.

The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof. We support children to use precise mathematical vocabulary and to express their mathematical thinking in complete sentences.  ‘my turn, our turn, your turn technique enables us to provide a stem-sentence for children to communicate their ideas with mathematical precision and clarity.

To ensure Maths lessons are coherent and sequenced, they are broken down into small, connected steps that gradually unfold the concept, providing access for all children, leading to a generalisation of the concept and the ability to apply to a range of concepts. Concrete resources are regularly used in lessons alongside Pictorial Representations, to expose the mathematical structure being taught, with the aim to be that pupils can do the Maths without needing the Concrete resource or Pictorial Representation.

White Rose Scheme of Learning provide sequential ‘Blocks’ of learning for the whole year, where children meet each area of learning each year, providing a spiral curriculum which is detailed in our Mathematics Progression Document.

Mathematics Lesson include:

Flashback 4: A spaced repetition of key concepts and a review of prior learning, which takes place daily, providing opportunities for both short and longer-term review. 

Get Ready: A number based arithmetic task to build and increase rapid recall.

Learning Focus: Small step of learning for the lesson is introduced through a problem modelled by the teacher.

Vocabulary: A review of previously learnt mathematical language and new vocabulary for the lesson/block unit of work.

Let’s Learn: New learning/calculation strategy is introduced using CPA approach and modelling.

Independent Learning: Children demonstrate learning through answering fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions.

Plenary: Review/modelling of a reasoning/problem or ‘True or False’ question. 

Each lesson phase provides the means for children to achieve greater depth, with children who are quick to grasp new content, being offered rich and sophisticated problems, within the lesson as appropriate.

EYFS

Number fluency is continually developed within early years. Children participate in short maths sessions daily and are given time to explore mathematical concepts, test ideas, develop their understanding and practise taught skills through play and structured adult led tasks. Maths can be found in all areas of our provision and children experience it in a purposeful and meaningful context within their play and daily routines. Our mud kitchen, water wall, construction areas, large sand pit and domestic role play are just some of the areas in which children can explore number, shape, space and measures. Children are encouraged to use their mathematical understanding and skills to solve real life problems and practitioners are trained to identify and extend opportunities to foster this.

EYFS read a wide range of texts which are carefully linked to their main themes. They also have a list of texts which are used throughout the year to support mathematical concepts.

Keystage 1 and Keystage 2

In addition to daily maths lessons, KS1 access the White Rose Fluency Bee programme and other resources which aims to secure the firm foundations needed in the development of good number sense through the use of appropriate manipulatives.

Year 3 to Year 6 children access additional maths skills session designed by their teacher.  Including daily arithmetic sessions. This provides opportunities for all children to practise their mental and calculation knowledge. This serves to reinforce and consolidate previous learning; increase fluency, speed and accuracy; and improve confidence through the spaced learning approach.  Regular use of ‘TT Rockstars’ within school and home enables children to practise multiplication and division knowledge.  

‘MyMaths’ is a whole school interactive resource primarily used for homework so that children can practice and consolidate what they have learnt in school. Teachers set weekly Maths Homework using this online tool. Children are able to access a range of activities which develop their confidence and fluency in maths, through interactive lessons and self-marking homework tasks, worksheets, and games.

Mathematics has a high profile and there are planned opportunities to ensure that Maths is taught throughout other subjects for example data collection and representations in Computing Lessons.  Maths enrichment tasks include after school and lunch time clubs and children are given further opportunities to explore, reason and problem solve during Money Week and Maths Focus Days.

Impact

At Christ Church we do believe that summative assessment provides essential information to inform next steps in planning and to make decisions about how to support children to close gaps in their learning.  The White Rose Mathematics Scheme of Learning does provide regular opportunities for children to demonstrate what knowledge and skills they have acquired and retained.  Children complete an assessment task after each Block Unit of Learning and an end of term assessment.  Termly assessments are used as a diagnostic tool to ensure that teachers are adapting learning to meet the needs of all children and ensure that any necessary interventions are targeted specifically to meet the needs of children.

We also use formative assessment strategies to successfully move on learning for children within a lesson. At Christ Church we practice assessment for learning which is ongoing active assessment called ‘live marking’ which takes place during lessons. It promotes learning during the learning, not after the event so at Christ Church we take the approach of providing verbal feedback and marking during the lesson not afterwards.  We believe that teachers should work alongside children and help them identify what they know, what they don’t know and more importantly what they partially know. It allows all learners to assess the level of complexity they are working at while engaged in learning.

By the time children in Year 6 leave Christ Church they will be prepared for the next stage in their lives with:

• Quick recall of facts and procedures including rapid recall of multiplication tables and key facts
• The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics
• The ability to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics
• Confidence and belief that they can achieve
• The knowledge that maths underpins most of our daily lives
• Skills and concepts that have been mastered.