Mathematics
‘ Without Mathematics there is nothing you can do. As everything you do is mathematics, everything is numbers.’
S. Devi
‘Pure mathematics is its own way, the poetry of logical ideas.’
Albert Einstein
We consider that maths to be magical. It is everywhere and we can’t survive without it – it is an essential part of everyday life. Throughout their school journey, children will be taught to develop an understanding of numeric fluency and mathematical concepts. Through teacher input, partner work, questioning and suitable challenges, we encourage children to develop their reasoning skills, which in turn equips them with a wide range of skills to master a concept. During lessons, they are encouraged to seek patterns and make justifications, using mathematical language to empower them to become confident speakers and critical thinkers.
Key Curriculum Principles
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Deliberate practice :
Children should be taught through deliberate practice, using varied and repeated skills, such as My Turn Your Turn (MTYT), teacher input, partner work and Whole Class Choral Recall (WCCR). These skills increase in complexity as children progress up the school, which develops their conceptual and procedural understanding of maths. Carefully designed variation within this practice builds fluency and understanding of underlying concepts in tandem. Through these techniques, children are taught to master all areas of mathematical understanding and to reason efficiently using mathematical language.
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Retrieval:
Lessons start with retrieval of past learning which encourages children to transfer facts and skills from their working memory into their long-term memory. Progress through lessons involves repeated repetition of skills and procedures to ensure mastery. They are encouraged to make links between their learning and are shown how to make justifications to reason effectively. All children are exposed and encouraged to use a high level of mathematical oracy in every lesson to seek patterns and generalisations whilst developing coherent arguments.
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The bigger picture:
Lessons follow a sequence and progression which is carefully sequenced and planned. As they progress through the curriculum, children are able to make connections and gain a deeper understanding of how the number system works. Children are taught and exposed to a wide range of topics, problems and challenges that increase in complexity, allowing them to build clear and progressive connections within their long term memory. Children work collaboratively with their partner to foster deep conceptual and procedural knowledge. Children are taught to be independent and persevere to create solutions which in turn, allows children to become well rounded mathematical thinkers. Concrete resources are used to ensure that children have internalised models and representations underpinning their understanding of the number system which they can refer to.
DET Curriculum Principles
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The Bigger Picture
Lessons follow a narrative and form part of a coherent map which is effectively sequenced and planned. As a result, students are supported to build schemas in their long-term memory to help retention and support application of knowledge.
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Knowledge Rich
The subject curricula combine a rich blend of knowledge and the related disciplinary skills. Acquiring fundamental knowledge and being able to quickly access relevant information from memory are prerequisites for deeper learning and reasoning.
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Literacy Development
Literacy is at the heart of the curriculum and students’ ‘disciplinary literacy’ is prioritised. Vocabulary rich lessons ensure students have the opportunity to develop their vocabulary (including tier 2/3 vocabulary) , extending knowledge and helping them to become confident communicators and learners. Students have the opportunity to read appropriately complex texts, break down complex writing tasks, combine writing instruction with reading and use structured talk in order to increase students’ understanding across the curriculum. Where necessary students are provided with individual literacy support in support of the aim for all to leave school with the ability to comprehend and communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
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Enrichment
Varied experiences enrich lives, engage imaginations, stretch skills and allow students to think creatively and independently. We recognise that reading is an essential tool in developing layers of meaning and knowledge - simply put, read more and know more.
Our curriculum
Our curriculum
We recognise that the maths curriculum begins in our Nursery. Children are given opportunities to develop a strong grounding in number through exploration and engaging with mathematical concepts using concrete and pictorial representations to show their understanding. This is essential before moving onto abstract representations and allows the children the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically.
National Curriculum Purpose of study
Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education, therefore, provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Maths aims to ensure that all pupils:
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:
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become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
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reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
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can 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
Early Years
The EYFS develops the curriculum utilising a blend of products, to ensure that it meets the needs of the children. Whole class, teacher led input is given daily. Understanding is assessed through targeted questioning with each child being given the opportunity to answer a question as well as through child initiated and child led activities.
Children have the opportunity to develop their maths through morning challenges twice a week. Each week, an adult initiated task is planned and taught from the assessed development needs in their maths challenge books. Maths activities that are modelled in the lesson are put out for children to further explore independently. Finally, there is child-led learning for example before starting a shape topic, an adult will put out the 3D shapes and observe what the children do with them.
In Early Years, Flashback Four is taught every day which focuses on number operations.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, daily whole class lessons are supported by the Effective Maths scheme to promote effective sequencing and lesson progression. Teachers are expected to teach procedural and conceptual knowledge and embed learning through whole class choral responses and partner work/talk. Children are expected to jot down their recordings onto paper and work with their partner collaboratively. Children are expected to complete independent tasks in their books including the use of 'Prove, Explain and Challenge'. It is expected that most children will complete the Prove part of their learning, with opportunities to Explain what they have learnt which highlights the mathematical vocabulary and then to Challenge themselves further.
Manipulatives are used wherever possible to support the learning for all children.
Children are encouraged to use mathematical vocabulary in lessons, both verbally and in written form. Suitable challenges such as questioning should be taught throughout the lesson which promote children to reason effectively.
Flashback Four is taught every day but this does not have to be in the maths lesson. This is four questions about previous learning and the questions are set in the following order: the lesson before, the week before, the topic before and the year before. A clock is also shown so children practise telling the time every day.
Multiplication and corresponding division facts of 2, 5 and 10 are taught explicitly and should be secure when they have left Year 2.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, daily whole class lessons are supported by the Effective Maths scheme to promote effective sequencing and lesson progression. Teachers are expected to teach procedural and conceptual knowledge and embed learning through whole class choral responses and partner work/talk. Children are expected to jot down their recordings onto paper and work with their partner collaboratively. Children are expected to complete independent tasks in their books including the use of 'Prove, Explain and Challenge'. It is expected that most children will complete the Prove part of their learning, with opportunities to Explain what they have learnt which highlights the mathematical vocabulary and then to Challenge themselves further.
Manipulatives are used wherever possible to support the learning for all children.
Children are encouraged to use mathematical vocabulary in lessons, both verbally and in written form. Suitable challenges such as questioning should be taught throughout the lesson which promote children to reason effectively.
Flashback Four is taught every day but this does not have to be in the maths lesson. This is four questions about previous learning and the questions are set in the following order: the lesson before, the week before, the topic before and the year before. A clock is also shown so children practise telling the time every day.
All multiplication and corresponding division facts of all numbers to 12 are taught explicitly and should be secure by the end of year 4 for the multiplication times table check. Children in Y5 and Y6 should continue to practise explicitly every day to ensure fluency.
SEND & Inclusion
Maths is adapted for the learners' needs. As in all areas of the curriculum, teachers should deliver ‘quality-first’ teaching and differentiate to support children with barriers to learning. We recognise the importance of ensuring that the teaching is well matched to the needs of the children.
On an individual basis, teachers should consider any limitations that a child has in accessing the planned lesson and provide resources, scaffolds, adapted tasks, adult support and differentiated questioning where appropriate. As maths demands a high-level of vocabulary understanding, it may be beneficial to ‘pre-teach’ vocabulary to specific children.
