Mathematics

Intent

At St. Michael’s Junior School, our overall aim is to equip all of our pupils with the life skills they need to be able to flourish in the real world and promote a love of maths. We aim to ensure that, regardless of background and ability, every pupil has a rich and meaningful mathematics education. Both staff and pupils understand the importance of automaticity and fluency within maths and this is taught through real life contexts to enable pupils to apply their understanding, reason about maths, problem solve and make connections across the subject and the wider curriculum. We believe in a language rich environment and our pupils will leave us with the confidence to talk maths, do maths and apply maths to their everyday lives.

The aims of the National Curriculum are to develop fluency and the ability to reason mathematically and solve problems:

Implementation:

Our Curriculum:

Our maths curriculum is based on White Rose which is a whole-class mastery programme designed to spark curiosity and excitement and help children develop confidence in maths. As a school, we are confident and feel empowered to deliver the maths curriculum, and have the resources and support we need to achieve this. Teaching sequences are based on small steps to ensure a good level of coherence, understanding, application of understanding and transference of skills to a range of mathematic problems and contexts. We give the children time to build their conceptual understanding through the use and exploration of maths manipulatives. We can differentiate this way which enables the all children succeed.

White Rose maps out a long term plan based on 12 weeks in a term. Each year group begins the academic year with the topic Place Value which is foundation of all mathematical understanding. Children will then move through the topics systematically, building on prior knowledge. Teachers use creativity to design their lessons in order to provide the children with concrete, pictorial and abstract learning opportunities. We believe that through the use of concrete manipulatives, all children will achieve and strengthen their conceptual understanding of maths. Through this, we enable children to explore number and become confident with manipulating them. This, we have found, breeds pupils’ mathematical curiosity and independence.

Children are taught in mixed ability groups. This allows all children to be exposed to the same content and be offered the same opportunities. Pupils are then given tasks to enrich and stretch this learning in the form of challenges to further challenge the greater depth pupils, and those who may need extra support are supported through scaffolding such as using mathematical manipulatives or by requiring teacher/TA support.

We have two maths sessions four days of the week. The first session lasts 30 minutes and provides time for children to be taught mathematical vocabulary in context as well as a set time to practise multiplication facts. We use times tables probes to enable children to become fluent in their number facts. To teach vocabulary in context, we use Frayer Models which provides the children with an opportunity to explore the definition and use it in an abstract setting.

Our main session lasts one hour and is where the children are taught systematically using White Rose. The session is used to introduce new concepts and provide opportunities for children to work with concrete resources before moving onto pictorial representations and abstract number questions. Children are asked only to complete 4-6 fluency style questions (more for a new skill across all year groups) before they move on to both problem solving and reasoning questions. We spend much time on building their mathematical vocabulary as we know that the ability to reason is the bridge between fluency and successful problem solving.

Impact:

Teachers active mark through the lesson when possible to provide immediate feedback and intervention where needed. Mini plenaries are used effectively to address common misconceptions identified by active marking. Misconceptions are addressed through 1:1 feedback and RTM (response to marking). They will also be addressed in subsequent lessons. The lesson’s LJ will be ticked when the objective has been met or achieved. At the beginning of each topic, the children will complete a pre-block assessment of the previous year group’s assessment. Teachers then complete a gap analysis and endeavour to fill evident gaps. Children will also complete an end of block assessment and an end of term assessment three times a year. These results will also have a gap analysis carried out.

Since we implemented our mastery approach to the mathematics curriculum, we have seen yearly improvements in our KS2 results. In our classrooms, you will find classes that are enthused, engaged, challenged and on task. Children are happy and excited to begin their maths lessons!

We have seen yearly improvement in our greater depth results and our pupils are stretched much more now with the implementation of a mastery way of learning. When observing our pupils you will hear them talking enthusiastically about their maths and speak about how they love the subject. You will hear them celebrating their mistakes and learning from each and every one they make. You will see a growth mind-set where they are not afraid to jump into the learning pit and struggle to get out – as they know that this is how they learn and make new neurological pathways. You will see a class enthused, engaged, challenged and on task. You will see independence and pupils supporting their peers and explaining tasks to one another. You will see a team, togetherness, and pupils loving learning. You will see pupils ready to use and apply their maths in their everyday lives.

Progression Document

Vocabulary Progression Document