Mathematics 

INTENT

At All Saints Catholic Primary School, we value a Maths curriculum that is creative and engaging. Our children need to develop the necessary skills to make them ‘deep thinkers’, acquiring mathematics skills that can be recalled quickly and transferred and applied in different contexts. Our main aim to is make our children independent, resilient and fluent Mathematicians. They need to be able to make rich connections across the areas of mathematics and use their knowledge in other subjects, in a range of different contexts. Maths is the foundation for understanding the wider world and we want our children to know the purpose behind their learning and to apply their knowledge to their everyday lives. At All Saints, we want pupils to:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics
• Reason mathematically
• Solve problems by applying their Mathematics

IMPLEMENTATION

Mathematics is a core subject in school and is taught in every year group, daily. Each session lasts for approximately one hour. Lessons are planned and delivered in accordance with the New Primary Curriculum 2014, following the objectives set by the STAT Sheffield Assessment materials. Many resources are used to enhance and support the teaching of Mathematics, for example, White Rose Materials and NCETM. The maths curriculum in KS1 is split into eight sections; ‘Number and Place Value’, ‘Fractions’, ‘Addition and Subtraction’, ‘Multiplication and Division’, ‘Measurement’, ‘Properties of Shape’, ‘Position and Direction’, ‘Statistics’. As the children move into KS2 they also study ‘Statistics’ and ‘Ratio and Proportion’.

Lessons generally involve, Mental Strategies (which focus on general number work, including counting, times tables and knowing number facts); the teaching of written methods; investigative work; reasoning and problem solving. The staff enable the children to apply their knowledge to real life situations where ever possible. The staff ensure that children are able to develop their learning from concrete to pictorial to symbolic. The first ten minutes of each Maths lesson is used to practise times tables or for ‘Fluent in Five’, which revisits areas using quick rapid recall.  

To support the children in their learning, we have many web based programs, where the children are able to practise mental skills and reinforce concepts taught. These include: Number Bots, Hit the Button, Top Marks and Times Table Rockstars, to which school subscribes annually.

School staff use the following teaching sequence where possible to teach a new concept, this is to enable the children to fully embed their learning:

1. Explicit teaching
2. Practise
3. Recall
4. Rapid Recall
5. Application

In the Early Years, maths is taught in line with the EYFS curriculum and covers a range of objectives relating to ‘Comparison’, ‘Counting’, ‘Cardinality’, ‘Composition of number’, ‘Spatial Awareness’ ’Shape’ and ‘Pattern’.  Skills are assessed before direct teaching, this ensure that children are taught from their individual starting point and teaching is focused on needs. These skills are then enhanced and consolidated through the careful planning of enhanced provision.  

In key stages 1 and 2, the children are taught in their own year groups. Planning is based around the prior knowledge of the children, lessons are delivered and children are assessed throughout the lesson. Adaptive teaching is used successfully to ensure that no child is left behind and that ALL learners have the same high expectations placed on them. Any children that have struggled with a particular concept may have ‘pre-teach’ interventions before the next lesson in order for them to keep up.  Teachers have an excellent subject knowledge of the Maths curriculum in all year groups and so clear progression of skills, concepts and methods are evident throughout school.

IMPACT

The school has a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills. As a result, we have a community of enthusiastic mathematicians and problem solvers who enjoy showcasing their developing Mathematics skills. They love to discuss and share their ideas. Children are resilient in the learning and persevere; all children enjoy their Mathematics lessons.