Maths – Cheetwood Primary School

Maths

Subject Leader: Miss Jamil

“It’s not that I am so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
– Albert Einstein

Intent

At Cheetwood Primary School, we believe that maths builds the foundations for empowerment and success. Mathematics curriculum promotes the three-dimensional competencies of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. We at Cheetwood aim to promote a love and thirst for learning and curiosity about the nature of mathematics and its necessity to everyday life. Our Mathematics curriculum is designed to develop children who are confident, agile mathematicians. It is ambitious and empowers our pupils to become independent and resilient.

Our curriculum is sequenced in line with the EYFS Statutory Framework (2020), Development Matters (2020) and the National Curriculum for Mathematics (2013).

The national curriculum for Mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

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
Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
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

Our Maths teaching is based on the White Rose Hubs schemes. This approach ensures that all our teachers are following a carefully crafted sequence of mathematical knowledge, through small interrelated steps, ensuring secure understanding of number, mathematical structures, allowing deep connections to be made.

We have a strong focus on essential number knowledge and follow the concrete, pictorial and abstract approach so that children of all abilities are exposed to maths in a variety of contexts daily. The constant use of mathematical language allows children to become fluent, confident and flexible problem solvers. A skill essential for navigating life!

This knowledge is challenged and strengthened by opportunities to reason threaded throughout lessons. We do this because it is vital to be numerate in order to participate fully in society and thinking mathematically is life-enriching.

Implementation

We will aim to:

Effectively develop and invest in our teaching staff to ensure that they are fully equipped with expert subject knowledge in order to support the delivery of an exceptional Mathematics curriculum. Teaching is highly effective for all pupils. Teachers present the curriculum content clearly through composites and component parts supported by White Rose Hubs Maths mastery approach, which break the unit knowledge, objectives, concepts and skills down for each lesson in each year group.

The curriculum is delivered through a subject specific approach, which supports pupils to develop the key concepts and knowledge of the Mathematics curriculum. Each lesson within a unit of work is carefully crafted and builds upon what has been previously taught from one year to the next.

Frequent audits of the Mathematics curriculum take place. Following the findings from these audits, the Mathematics curriculum is adapted to build upon the learning opportunities and assessments for each year group and ensures progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills.

Pupils take inspiration from mathematicians to support their mathematical understanding and determination to succeed. They explore and practice the knowledge, skills and disciplines involved in the unit and use their Maths books to record their learning and apply through problem solving and reasoning their mathematical knowledge and understanding to explain their findings. Each mathematical discipline and knowledge taught is revisited in each phase, at a progressively deeper level. All classes study subject unit specific vocabulary and this develops year one year.

Mathematic subject specific characteristics, which we expect the pupils to demonstrate, have been developed and shared. These characteristics underpin all work in mathematics and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are to:

Recall known number facts quickly and apply fluently in the different aspects of mathematics
Reason mathematically
Justify or prove our thinking using mathematical language
Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of challenges
Persevere and employ resilience in seeking solutions to problems
Apply mathematical knowledge and understanding to a range of contexts
Begin to understand how mathematics is an integral part of daily life

The teaching of the Mathematics curriculum is planned and delivered to support pupils to transfer key knowledge into their long-term memory and therefore improve the progress they make. Essential vocabulary is identified within each lesson and unit of work to ensure that our pupils can discuss and evaluate the Mathematics content effectively.

Whilst delivering the curriculum, teachers are constantly checking to ensure that pupils are learning the necessary knowledge and identifying and addressing misunderstandings. Assessment is used as a tool to support pupil learning.

The Mathematics curriculum is research evidence informed in relation to the content, delivery and process of learning.

Impact

The impact of Mathematics teaching will be measured in the following ways:

Using both formative and summative assessment information in Mathematics. Assessment informs learning to ensure that all pupils including disadvantage and those with SEND achieve highly and acquire the knowledge, skills and concepts they need to succeed in life. Staff use assessment information to inform their short-term planning and address misconceptions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils. This means that the essential knowledge, skills and concepts in mathematics are progressive and build year on year.

Our well-constructed curriculum in Mathematics leads to pupils’ successful learning. This is evidenced in the outcomes within exercise books and practical work produced. Pupils are prepared for the next steps and stages of their learning due to the progressive and well-sequenced curriculum. As a result, pupils make good progress they know more and remember more as they move through the Mathematics curriculum at Cheetwood.