Mathematics

Implementation

We believe it is imperative that pupils move to the next stage of education not only with secure calculation strategies and number facts but that they also have a sound knowledge of the ‘the maths behind the maths’ – the ‘why.’

Throughout the school, our long term planning follows the National Curriculum. Consistency and continuity is ensured through the use of our Agreed Approach to Calculation Document which guides our children through the four operations from EYFS to Y6.

This approach:

• ensures consistency and progression in our approach to written calculations.
• makes teachers aware of the strategies that pupils are formally taught in each year group that will support them to preform mental and written calculations.
• supports teachers in identifying appropriate pictorial representations and concrete materials.
• ensures that children develop an efficient, reliable, formal written method of calculation for all operations.
• ensures that children can use these methods accurately with confidence and understanding.

The policy details the strategies. Teachers then plan opportunities for the children to apply these; for example, when solving problems, or where possible, opportunities somewhere else in the curriculum.

The journey of maths at Weeth begins in EYFS using a blend of Mastering Number and Power Maths which fully complement each other. Daily small group maths sessions take place through continuous provision with an additional 15-minute whole class session focusing on fluency. These are taught to develop subitising, cardinality, ordinality, counting, composition and comparison.

In KS1 the daily 45-minute maths lesson is taught using the White Rose scheme of learning with an additional 20 minutes of Mastering Number also taught, building on knowledge and understanding learned in EYFS. The pictorial representations used in White Rose Maths enables the children to demonstrate their mathematical ability.

In KS2 the daily 60-minute maths lesson is taught using the Power Maths scheme of learning with White Rose Maths supplementing the scheme, with an additional 15-minutes spent on fluency. Times Table Rockstars is used to motivate children to improve their recall facts.  The real life contexts used in Power Maths are essential for the children in KS2 to apply their mathematical understanding within the wider world.

Teachers deliver the curriculum through small steps to ensure that lessons are sequential and build on prior learning. Formative assessment takes place throughout the lesson with immediate feedback given. Any misconceptions are promptly addressed either within the lesson, during individualised ‘Catch-Up’ sessions or if this is the majority, it becomes the focus of the next day’s lesson starter. If needed, more targeted interventions take place using Number Stacks. This pin points the specific gaps in the child’s understanding which are causing barriers to further progression.

We use manipulatives in all year groups as a useful tool to support children’s deep acquisition of concepts and representations in mathematics. We recognise the importance of moving the children from these manipulatives to more visual and written recordings at the earliest possible opportunity using the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach so they can begin to independently internalise key mathematical ideas. Classroom displays are current to the block being taught and reinforce the CPA approach by including ‘Show it, draw it, explain it, prove it’ to prompt and assist learning. Stem sentences and key vocabulary are also displayed to facilitate reasoning.

Mathematics Overview