Maths

St Mewan CP School - Maths 

 

2023 - 2024 

 

Intent: 

 

Maths is a long-term journey. A deep understanding of Maths is achieved through exploration, clarification, practice and application over time. At each stage of learning, children should be able to demonstrate a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic and be able to build on this over time. 

 

There are 3 levels of learning: 

Shallow learning: surface, temporary, often lost.  

Deep learning: it sticks, can be recalled and used. 

Deepest learning: can be transferred and applied in different contexts. 

 

The deep and deepest levels are what we, at St Mewan, aim for by teaching maths using the Mastery approach. 

 

We intend to do this by: 

  

  • Ensuring our children have access to a high-quality maths curriculum that is both challenging and enjoyable. 

  • Providing our children with a variety of mathematical opportunities, which will enable them to make the connections in learning needed to enjoy greater depth in learning. 

  • Fully develop independent learners with inquisitive minds who have secure mathematical foundations and an interest in self-improvement. 

 

Metacognition in Maths 

 

In our Maths lessons, we aim to develop pupils’ independent learning skills using metacognitive approaches. Our intent has a much broader application: our aim is for these learning skills to filter through to all subjects, with children applying them in all areas of the wider school curriculum. We will: 

 

  • Develop pupil self-esteem to create confident, resilient learners that are not afraid to take risks. 

  • Ensure all children are engaged in lessons with no passive learners. 

  • Develop rigour in children 

  • Develop children’s self-awareness as learners 

  • Develop fluent number fact knowledge that children can transfer and apply in other areas of maths, thus reducing cognitive overload. 

 

Implementation: 

 

Our mastery approach to the curriculum is designed to develop children's knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts from the Early Years through to the end of Y6. Our curriculum is designed to develop Substantive and Disciplinary Knowledge.  

 

KS1 and KS2 

 

In school, we follow the National Curriculum and use the Power Maths Scheme to support teachers with their planning and assessment.  Power Maths is a comprehensive, mastery scheme of work that embeds a growth mindset approach to Maths. Its inclusive approach helps all children build a deep understanding of maths concepts. Power Maths adopts a metacognitive approach of ‘I do, We do, ‘You do’ using ‘Discover, Share, Think Together, Independent Practice’. It is progressive within and across year groups. 

 

Alongside Power Maths, all teachers use the NCETM Ready to Progress Materials from the 2020 DfE Mathematics Guidance for Key Stage 1 and 2. These materials helps them to prioritise core concepts, identifying the most important conceptual knowledge and understanding that pupils need as they progress from Year 1 to Year 6. It provides a coherent, linked framework to support pupils’ mastery of the primary mathematics curriculum.  

 

EYFS 

In Reception, children also follow the Power Maths scheme of work. Their Maths skills are further developed through planned and child-initiated play and activities:  communicating and modelling language, showing, explaining, demonstrating, exploring ideas, encouraging, questioning, recalling, providing a narrative for what they are doing, facilitating and setting challenges. 

 

Planning is in line with the NCETM materials with a focus on developing a deep understanding of number through subitising and number recognition activities. 

 

Fluency time 

 

As part of our daily twenty minutes Maths fluency time, Years 2-6 teach Times Tables using the St Mewan Times Table Planner document and the strategies out lined in our Five Day Teaching timetable. 

 

Reception and Key Stage 1 follow the Number Sense Maths programme. This is daily systematic number fact teaching. The programme is aligned with the NCETM PD materials and with the Ready to Progress criteria. 

 

Key Stage 2 follow Fluent in Five. 

 

‘Goal Free Friday’ 

 

Once a fortnight, children take part in a ‘Goal Free’ lesson. Such open-ended lessons allow children to tackle problems in smaller steps at their own pace, at their own level. Such questions build rigour in children, encourage them to persevere with problems, to ‘See the Maths’ in everyday problems and use a range of mathematical language.  

Teaching and Learning, Content and Sequence:  

 

  • At the start of each new topic, key vocabulary is introduced and revisited regularly to develop language acquisition, embedding as the topic progresses.  

  • At the start of each lesson, classes reactivate prior learning through a short retrieval activity called a ‘Flashback Challenge’. This short retrieval activity gives pupils the opportunity to recall previous learning from their long-term memory and ensures all learning is fully embedded. Children will ‘Know more and remember more’. 

  • Children are taught through clear modelling and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. The mastery approach incorporates using objects, pictures, words and numbers to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen understanding at all levels.  

  • Children move through a lesson’s learning at their own pace. They will acquire the skill, apply the skill or deepen the skill within the lesson.  

  • Children who have shown their understanding at a deep level within the unit, will have opportunities to apply these skills in a greater depth activity. This should be challenging and ensure that children are using more than just one skill to be able to answer the mathematical problems.  

  • Reasoning and problem solving are integral to the activities children are given to develop their mathematical thinking.  

  • Resources are readily available to assist demonstration of securing a conceptual understanding of the different skills appropriate for each year group. Children are always encouraged to model their understanding using manipulatives in multiple ways. Children have easy access to manipulatives to support their learning in all lessons. 

  • A love of maths is encouraged throughout school via links with other subjects, applying an ever-growing range of skills with growing independence, that will prepare them for adult life.  

  • We are an inclusive school and so children with additional needs are included in whole class lessons and teachers provide scaffolding and relevant support as necessary. For those children who are working outside of the year group curriculum, individual learning activities and interventions such as Number Stacks are also provided to ensure their progress. 

  • Staff use the NCETM Ready to Progress materials and the Maths Hub PD materials to support children and give them additional maths teaching where necessary. These materials may be used whole class or in smaller sized intervention groups. Adults use these materials to track back to previous year groups’ objectives and learning where necessary. 

  • Small group Number Stacks interventions are used to support children working below expectations. This intervention focuses on the children acquiring key mathematical skills in a specific area of the Maths curriculum for a short and targeted period of time before they return to whole class Quality First teaching. 

  • Staff will make use of the local environment to teach Maths where possible. In EYFS, children are encouraged to see numbers all around them. Maths learning intentions are supported outdoors. Teachers identify opportunities for maths learning and enhancing provision outdoors, celebrating the unique qualities of the outdoor environment. Children use natural resources and are encouraged to learn maths through all their senses, including touch, smell, sound and taste.  

  • KS1 and KS2 use the outdoor school environment for the likes of shape hunts, angle  

hunts, position and direction challenges, and undertaking surveys and data analysis.  

Children are encouraged to make links between things in the outdoor environment and Maths. This helps pupils to start making connections with the work they do in class and the how it connects with the real world. 

 

Substantive Knowledge 

 

Children are explicitly taught key number facts and mathematical concepts so that they are fluent. They have time to explore relationships between number facts. Over time, children are able to instantly recall and retrieve mathematical concepts taught. Children can demonstrate this knowledge by verbalising methods used. This knowledge is taught through daily Number Sense, Power Maths, Mathematical Sentence Stems and Flashback retrieval activities. 

 

Disciplinary Knowledge 

 

Children will apply their Substantive Knowledge through reasoning and problem solving activities. The children have opportunities to do this through Power Maths challenges and Reflects. Mathematical Sentence Starters are taught and displayed in all classrooms to support this. 

 

Leadership, Assessment and Feedback: 

 

  • Assessment informs the teaching and learning sequence 

  • Feedback is given on children’s learning and acted upon quickly 

  • Formative assessment within every lesson helps teachers to identify the children who need more support to achieve the intended outcome and who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through planned questioning or additional activities.  

  • In order to support teacher judgments, children are assessed termly using current and reliable tests in line with the National Curriculum for maths. Gap analysis of any tests that the children complete is undertaken and fed into future planning. 

  • The Maths and Metacognition Lead has a clear role and overall responsibility for the progress of all children in maths throughout school. Working with the rest of SLT, key data is analysed and regular feedback is provided, to inform on progress and future actions. Maths Learning Walks, pupil conferencing and monitoring of planning is undertaken regularly. 

  • Teachers use the year group Power Maths planning documents to evidence and track learning throughout the year. This is a working document that is passed on to the next year’s teacher to enable them to see areas of learning that have been covered and identify those that may need further reinforcement. 

 

Impact: 

 

The impact we will see throughout Mathematics: 

 

  • Children show independence in lessons 

  • Children will show confidence in believing that they will achieve.  

  • Each child achieves objectives (expected standard) for their year group.  

  • Children will be able to talk about their previous and current learning. 

  • The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of maths.  

  • The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons.  

  • Children will develop as critical thinkers. They will think logically and rationally in their Maths lessons, understanding the connections between different areas of maths. Learners will have the confidence to tackle problems and engage in reasoning tasks independently. 

  • Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations.  

  • Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work. 

  • The implementation of the Number Sense Programme and Fluent in Five will lead to fluency in addition and subtraction facts, and to a deep understanding of number and number relationships.  

  • In order to see mathematical development and success, leaders and teachers will see the following mathematical behaviours from adults and children within lessons: 

 

-High quality teaching to develop problem solving abilities.  

-Teachers and other adults providing challenging problems, encouragement, and assistance in learning how to approach complex problems. 

-When confronted with challenging or unfamiliar tasks, children will exhibit persistence and confidence. 

 

  • Metacognitive skills will be developed amongst pupils to help them assess, plan and approach challenging mathematical problems.  

  • Children will use these learnt independent learning skills in other areas of the school curriculum: independent learning, no passive learners, belief in themselves as learners. 

  

These impact indicators will be assessed through: end of unit assessments, termly assessments, pupil tracking, pupil progress meetings, pupil conferencing, lesson observations and drop ins, performance management and moderation.