Frodsham Manor House Primary School

Maths

Our Intent for Mathematics:

Our maths curriculum is designed around the belief that mathematics is both a key skill within school, and a life skill to be utilised through everyday experiences. It helps children to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, to reason and to solve problems. Through their growing knowledge and understanding, children learn to appreciate the contribution made by many cultures to the development and application of mathematics. We believe that by fostering resilience and a love of challenge and enquiry, children will develop an enthusiasm and love of maths that they will carry forward with them.

Our curriculum reflects the importance of foundational knowledge and the long term impact that this has on the proficiency of children as they progress further through the curriculum. A commitment to a clear and focused emphasis on automaticity and explicit links between declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and conditional knowledge lies at the heart of our teaching and learning.

Core content is delivered through carefully sequenced programmes of study to ensure children are equipped with skills that develop their ability to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. Purposeful opportunities are provided that facilitate our children’s ability to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language. Our maths curriculum aims to give children the tools and knowledge required to 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 through the adoption of a mastery approach. Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

Our Implementation for Mathematics:

Each year group has a progressive map of key learning that reflects National Curriculum expectations. We recognise the value of making a coherent journey through the National Curriculum and therefore each year group follows a Key Learning document where small, cumulative steps build a solid foundation of deep mathematical understanding. Formative assessment is threaded throughout both each lesson and unit of work; and appropriate adaptations to planning are made by the class teacher to ensure all lessons are tailored to best meet the needs of their children. Curriculum content is sequenced across all year groups in line with Power Maths enabling the systematic provision of sequenced core content that becomes the building blocks of later success. Power Maths (government approved) is our primary resource for planning and implementation and supports our belief in detail, sequencing and alignment of content, instruction, rehearsal and assessment. Each lesson is built around researched based practice that ensures that elements of Concrete Pictorial Abstract (CPA) underpin systematic teaching. We implement our approach through high quality teaching delivering appropriately challenging work for all individuals. To support us, we have a range of mathematical resources in classrooms including Numicon, Base10 and counters (concrete equipment). When children have grasped a concept using concrete equipment, images and diagrams are used (pictorial) prior to moving to abstract questions. Abstract maths relies on the children understanding a concept thoroughly and being able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer and solve maths without equipment or images. Employing Power Maths as a model ensures whole school consistency in our approach.

At Frodsham Manor House we have the expectation that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, timely intervention and continuous assessment of children’s grasp of concepts and readiness to move on, will determine the decisions about when to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly will be challenged through being offered opportunities to deepen their understanding and knowledge before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material will consolidate their understanding, including additional practice, before moving on. Our aim is for same day intervention, in order to address misconceptions quickly and appropriately.

Through our teaching we continuously monitor pupils’ progress against expected attainment for their age, making formative assessment notes where appropriate and using these to inform our teaching. Summative assessments are completed at the end of each half term; their results form discussions in termly Pupil Progress Meetings and update our summative school tracker. The main purpose of all assessment is to always ensure that we are providing excellent provision for every child.

The Impact for Mathematics: 

Pupil Voice

 Through discussion and feedback, children talk enthusiastically about their maths lessons and speak about how they love learning about maths. They can articulate the context in which maths is being taught and relate this to real life purposes. Children show confidence and believe they can learn about a new maths area and apply the knowledge and skills they already have.

Evidence in knowledge

Pupils know how and why maths is used in the outside world and in the workplace. They know about different ways that maths can be used to support their future potential. Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations. Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recollection of the times table.

Evidence in skills

Pupils use acquired vocabulary in maths lessons. They have the skills to use methods independently and show resilience when tackling problems. The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of maths. Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work. The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons. Teachers plan a range of opportunities to use maths inside and outside school.

Outcomes

At the end of each year we expect the children to have achieved Age Related Expectations (ARE) for their year group. Some children will have progressed further and achieved greater depth (GD). Children who have gaps in their knowledge receive appropriate support and intervention.

Mastery

All children secure long-term, deep and adaptable understanding of maths which they can apply in different contexts.

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-mathematics 

Mrs Bedford is our Maths Co-ordinator. Please see below for our Long Term Plan and progression of skills documents.