Mathematics – Great Rollright CofE Primary School

Maths

In line with the National Curriculum, at Great Rollright, we believe that all pupils can be successful mathematicians. At each stage of learning, children should be able to demonstrate deep, conceptual understanding of a topic and build on this over time. We want children to not only recall the maths taught, but to also transfer and apply it in different contexts, demonstrating this by reasoning and problem solving. We teach using a mastery approach so that over time, pupils develop secure conceptual understanding. We have adopted the NCETM’s Five Big Ideas, and these underpin our approach to mathematics teaching and learning. Above all, pupils should feel confident and enjoy learning mathematics, becoming independent and well-equipped to apply their learning to the wider world.

We follow the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation materials that cover most of the requirements of the National Curriculum. For the remaining areas of study we follow Oak Academy. Within these schemes, learning is split into units that are taught in a sequence whereby previous learning can be used to support new learning. The sequence in which the units are taught also supports the teaching of, and the children’s ability to create, links between different concepts and therefore deepen their understanding.

In EYFS, we begin with a strong emphasis on intentional teaching sessions and adult-led activities to build the foundation of the children’s learning skills and knowledge and understanding of the curriculum, so that they can apply this learning to child-initiated activities and through continuous provision.

Maths is delivered across the school to Year 1 and Year 2 single year groups only to ensure we best meet the demands of delivering the curriculum with a mastery approach, following best practise guidance from the NCETM. In KS2 we follow a mixed age approach, apart from the Autumn Term of Year 3/4 where we remain in single year groups, using the NCETM materials which are split into a two year cycle with some units that are taught each year, but most units are taught biennially.

Each learning unit is designed in small, carefully sequenced steps that pupils should aim to master before moving on to the next stage. When designing the individual lessons for these small steps, the concepts of mastery underpin the lesson planning to ensure children have a deep conceptual understanding of what is being taught. The objective is explored using a range of representations and structures; fluency is developed as well as the flexibility to move between different contexts; variation is used to develop deep understanding and children are encouraged to think mathematically throughout.

A typical maths lesson at Great Rollright may begin by activating prior knowledge that children may need to access from their long-term memory to help them to learn the new concept. The lesson will then progress through small steps to develop understanding of what is being taught. These small steps may introduce the concept using a range of representations, may use conceptual and procedural variation and will encourage the children to respond in complete sentences using the correct mathematical vocabulary and sentence stems. As we believe that all children can achieve in maths you will not see ‘typical differentiation’ – for more information see our Teaching & Learning Policy. Instead, you will see support mechanisms put in place to ensure all children can access the lesson. Through continuous formative assessment, teachers can spot children who are finding aspects difficult and provide quick interventions to ensure that children are able to keep up with the whole class lessons.

Challenge is embedded throughout lessons with many open tasks, and use of probing questions, requiring pupils to think deeply about the concepts they are studying, find the connections between them, and prove they understand what they are doing.

Beyond the daily maths lesson, we also provide time for children to review prior learning to support embedding concepts in the long-term memory which allows for over-learning.

Teachers at Great Rollright continuously monitor the impact of the Mathematics curriculum, and whether the work pupils do over time matches the intended curriculum. We use the benchmark of our clearly sequenced curriculum to evaluate whether what we want our pupils to know and do well are evident in their outcomes in daily lessons, end of unit outcomes and ultimately performance in standardized assessments. Outcomes of this continuous process are recorded as evidence which is used by Teachers to evaluate the implementation of the curriculum and adjust sequences of work accordingly.

As a church school, we also evaluate whether pupils are demonstrating our core spiritual and moral values by their attitudes and behaviour in Mathematics lessons. We triangulate evidence to ensure are pupils have a love for learning by demonstrating curiosity and perseverance in problem-solving. That they exhibit a culture of respect, demonstrating a supportive environment where all learners feel valued and challenged. That they are able to demonstrate courage by taking risks and developing resilience trying out different methods and strategies, knowing mistakes are part of learning. That they are truthful and show integrity in reasoning, promoting accuracy and honesty in calculations and discussions.

Fluency in Maths

In EYFS and KS1 we are using Number Sense to systematically teach children the key number facts. This covers subitising, addition and subtraction facts. This is taught daily in short burst activities. Children will also have a homework linked to this.

In Lower KS2, we continue using Number Sense which extends to covering the multiplication and division facts. This is an important skill and the ambition is that all children will have fluent recall in these facts by the end of Year 4. For some children, this may continue into Year 5 to consolidate this knowledge. Children have a weekly homework linked to this, as well as using Times Tables Rockstars for weekly practise.

In Upper KS2, we focus on developing children’s procedural fluency across written and mental calculation methods. This supports their basic arithmetic work which underpins their learning across many mathematical areas. Children have a weekly homework linked to this, as well as continuing using Times Tables Rockstars to ensure this knowledge is consolidated. Children who have not passed the Multiplication Check continue their learning using the Number Sense program to ensure that these essential skills are mastered.

Support for Parents

This is the calculation policy we follow as a school. This demonstrates and explains the range of equipment your child we become confident using throughout their Maths education. It also models and explains the calculation strategies we teach at different ages. It is important your child is secure and confident in their age requirements. We encourage you not to move onto contents from a higher year group as it is proven that children’s depth and secure knowledge gives the best long term outcomes.