| Mathematics | |
| Longhorsley First School Maths Overview | Download |
Intent:
At the Longhorsley and Whalton Federation of Schools, we believe that Mathematics is of fundamental importance to our teaching. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering and necessary for most forms of employment. We aspire to enable our children to embrace the subject with positivity, confidence and enthusiasm. To facilitate this, it is our intention to foster a sense of curiosity, creativity and resilience in the subject. We plan and implement an appropriate and consistent approach as pupils progress between year groups so that they are secure in their mathematical abilities as they move on to their next school and beyond. Children’s chances of succeeding in mathematics are maximised if they develop a deep and lasting understanding of mathematical concepts and procedures. This trajectory reflects the year-by-year programmes of study for Key Stages 1 and 2 as set out by the National Curriculum, as well as the mathematics aims of the EYFS Framework.
Our curriculum is carefully planned to engage all of our learners and we map out the skills and themes covered each term for each key stage. These plans define what we will teach and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term, which builds upon children’s prior knowledge and experiences and takes them on a journey from EYFS to the end of Key Stage 2.
Implementation
The mastery approach:
As a response to the main aims of the National Curriculum, both schools in our federation follow the mastery approach when teaching mathematics. This approach teaches mathematics in small steps that mirror the statutory requirements of the Curriculum. Children develop their understanding using a variety of graphic representations, models and structures that become more familiar to them as they move from one year group to the next. The mathematical concepts and skills are taught in extended blocks in order to allow children sufficient time to practise, refine and ultimately master concepts and procedures. Lessons are carefully sequenced so that skills and knowledge are continually revisited and applied. Opportunities are planned to ensure all children access rich, problem solving tasks and assessment is used in the lesson to determine whether children need further guided practice or independent practice.
We teach children to use concrete resources such as counters to represent numbers, record their work using diagrams and models such as the part-whole model in order to develop their mental agility and understanding of the abstract number. In most lessons, children practise reasoning style questions which give them the opportunity for mathematical thinking, reasoning and explaining. It is our belief that this approach will enable our children to develop a wide range of mathematical skills that can be used effectively in later life.
Planning:
Teachers use the White Rose Maths schemes of learning as their medium term planning documents. These schemes provide teachers with exemplification for maths objectives and reflect the fluency, reasoning and problem solving aims of the National Curriculum. They support the mastery approach to teaching and allow the whole class to progress together as a group, regardless of underlying abilities.
Daily lessons and activities are planned using the resources and materials provided by White Rose Maths. This ensures that the children become very familiar with mathematics teaching that is delivered in a consistent way throughout the school. The children are introduced to the design and layout of the material at an early age, and understand the techniques and graphic representations used at each stage.
All classes have a daily mathematics lesson where possible. Teachers of the EYFS ensure the children learn through a mixture of adult led activities and child initiated activities both inside and outside of the classroom.
Impact:
Across both schools, we strive to ensure that every child develops a genuine passion and enthusiasm for Maths that stays with them throughout their school days and beyond. We want to help them to approach the subject with positivity and confidence, and inspire them to see it as a crucial part of their education. We believe that our pupils can work with resilience and determination, and that they are all capable of developing the interconnected skills of mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem-solving that will be essential in adult life.
