Maths

Maths

Curriculum Intent, Implementation & Impact

Key person responsible: K Speak

Intent: 

At Embsay C of E (VC) Primary School, we recognise the importance of Mathematics throughout each child’s everyday and future life. Maths enables children to understand relationships and patterns in both number and space in the world around them. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. Our Maths curriculum is inclusive, progressive and ambitious with real-life links.  We intend to give each child the self-confidence and resilience to reach their full potential.  We aim to ensure that they have the knowledge, understanding and tools to calculate fluently, reason logically, problem solve efficiently and think in abstract ways.  We want to equip our children with the necessary skills they will need for life, inspiring a curiosity and enjoyment of the subject in order that they can become life-long Mathematicians.

What are we trying to achieve with our Maths curriculum?

• Instil the mind-set in every child and staff member that everyone can do maths and that maths is for everyone…EVERYONE CAN!
• ‘Mistake friendly’ classrooms where children see mistakes as learning tools - there is an emphasis placed upon developing the power to ‘think’ rather than just ‘do’
• Deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum, taught by highly-enthusiastic staff, which sparks curiosity and excitement and which nurtures confidence in Maths
• Children become confident, competent and independent Mathematicians 

• Build a deep conceptual understanding of maths and its interrelated content so that children can apply their learning in different situations

• Develop children’s ability to articulate, discuss and explain their thinking using appropriate mathematical vocabulary 

• Children develop into resilient and inquisitive learners - skills needed to become life-long learners of Maths.

Implementation: How do we deliver our Maths curriculum?

As a core National Curriculum subject, the teaching and learning of Maths is given the importance it requires.

Our Maths Curriculum is progressive.  We recognise the value of making a coherent journey through the National Curriculum and each year group follows a medium term plan (White Rose Maths Scheme) where small, cumulative steps build a solid foundation of deep Mathematical understanding. Formative assessment is threaded throughout each lesson and unit of work; and appropriate revisions to planning are made by the class teacher to ensure all lessons are tailored to best meet the needs of their children. 

It is essential that children have a deep understanding of the most important elements that underpin the Mathematics curriculum so that there is consistency and continuity as children move from one year group to the next. Therefore, if necessary, time may be weighted towards those objectives set out in the ready-to-progress criteria (non-statutory guidance provided by the Department for Education, created in partnership with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics). 

In order to meet our aims above and the requirements set out in the EYFS framework and the Primary National Curriculum, we will implement the following:

• Children will take part in daily Maths lessons
• Teachers reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Mathematics – EVERYONE CAN! Maths is for EVERYONE! 
• Teachers promote positive learning characteristics  – Determined, Curious, Flexible and Resilient
• Teachers aim to spark curiosity and excitement about the learning of Maths 
• Children will be taught in line with the National Curriculum objectives for their year group.
• Using the mastery approach children will learn how to tackle mathematical questions in a series of different way and representations.
• Each classroom has a Maths Working Wall, which is regularly updated to reflect the key learning, key vocabulary and relevant sentence stems of the topic being taught. Alongside the use of targetted resources, it will enrich learning.
• White Rose is used as a basis for planning, but is adapted and added to from other sources, to meet the needs of our children.
• To develop secure and deep conceptual understanding, staff plan for the use of concrete resources, varied representations and structures (outlined and guided through White Rose Maths) 
• Children will be taught broadly in line with the sequenced blocks of teaching specified in the White Rose Maths Hub schemes of work.
• The vast majority of children progress through the curriculum content at the same pace
• Regular and ongoing formative assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child
• Summative assessments take place at the end of a unit and termly and planning is adjusted accordingly
• Children’s attainment and progress is discussed by teachers and SLT and if progress is not made, support is immediate and steps provided
• Children’s attainment and progress is discussed with parents/carers during parents evenings  
• Quality First teaching will enable all pupils to make progress.
• In addition to QFT, provision will be made for children who are not making the expected level of progress through P.O.Ps, small group/1:1 support and interventions.  
• QFT will be enhanced through appropriate CPD and training, along with subject monitoring and supportive subject leadership
• Well targeted questioning will assess understanding and challenge mathematical thinking.
• Formative and summative assessment will enable the next steps of learning to be planned for.
• Practice and consolidation play a central role. Carefully designed variation within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts
• Children’s explanations and their proficiency in articulating mathematical reasoning, with the precise use of Mathematical vocabulary, are supported with teachers placing a strong emphasis on the correct use of Mathematical language.  Sentence Stems are used as a model , and to guide, pupils
• Daily basic skills sessions recap and rehearse key skills to aid retention and support fluency. Flashback 4 is used for retrieval practice of key facts and skills.
• We focus on the instant recall of facts (SMIRFs) to promote fluency and to be focused on at least 3x each week. SMIRFs have been planned progressively through school.  These, along with times tables are taught and practised regularly within school and are also practised at home.
• Online programs are used to support the teaching and learning of Maths throughout school and at home such as My Maths Online, 1 Minute Maths and Timestables.co.uk
• Links with other curriculum areas will be made as appropriate- including date handling in science and representing data using computer programmes.

Impact: What difference is our Maths curriculum making to our pupils?

• Most children will achieve end of year expectations for their year group
• Children will have a positive and engaged attitude towards maths.
• They will be ready to progress to the next stage of their maths learning.
• Children will be confident in applying their maths skills in a range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
• They will be resilient in their work with a “can do” attitude and will talk enthusiastically about their maths learning.
• Accurate use of mathematical language is more evident during class / pupil discussions  
• Children will have made connections within their maths learning, but also with how their learning relates to the real world.
• Links with local secondary school Maths departments and local people / parents of different professions, National Numeracy Day events,  plus the Y6 'Grow a £1' enterprise and regular class 'Bake Stalls' have enriched the mathematical experiences of children and supported fluency of basic skills

We measure impact through learning walks/ lesson observations, work scrutiny and pupil voice, as well as this we carry out cross-school Maths moderation with staff and engage in SLT/ teaching staff discussions – where areas for development are discussed, and for which targets for the year are collaboratively developed. The outcome of this work forms a basis for the coming years action plans, and evaluation of impact

These factors ensure that pupils are able to achieve higher standards, with achievement at the end of KS2 in-line with that of the national average, as well as aiming for an increasing proportion of children demonstrating greater depth, at the end of each phase.

Additional information:

Assessment:

• Statutory Reception Baseline Assessment is carried out within the first six weeks at the start of the Autumn term
• Optional SATs assessments are carried out at the end of Year 2
• The Statutory Multiplication Check is undertaken in the Summer term of Year 4
• Statutory SATs assessments are taken at the end of Year 6.
• A PUMA assessment is used in September for KS2 to identify gaps and provide a Maths age which is used to identify smaller steps of progress.
• At the start of each term, staff identify the top 10% of pupils (of previous higher attainment) and the 20% of pupils with lower attainment within their class and show what provision is in place to support them.
• White Rose’s termly assessments are used to assess children’s attainment and inform teacher’s planning
• White Rose’s end of block assessments are used to assess children’s understanding and inform planning
• Scholarpack is updated each term  with 'point-in-time' teacher judgements and White Rose Assessment scores 
• Assessment data is saved on Sharepoint and used by teachers, the subject coordinator, SLT and governors for monitoring. Progress is monitored / discussed at termly pupil progress meetings and in staff meetings
• Pupil Voice, book scrutinies with pupils and cross-school Maths books moderations with staff take place each year to monitor the effectiveness of the Maths Curriculum, track standards and ensure there is consistency throughout school 
• Regular practice and assessment of SMIRFs / times tables takes place within school and at home

Resources:

• Practical maths apparatus is kept in classrooms, with a wider range of equipment and larger items stored in Room 7.
• All staff have log-in access to White Rose’s new resources site
• A wide range of resource materials, are available to each year group to compliment and enhance the White Rose Scheme.  (eg 'I See Maths' by Gareth Metcalfe, Plan-panion, N-Rich, Grammarsaurus, Twinkl, TES, STEM, …)
• All staff have log-in access to My Maths Online] which is used to set homework tasks.
• Pupils have log-in access to My Maths Online
• Other sites, such as 1 Minute Maths (White Rose) and Times-tables.co.uk, are used by pupils to reinforce & consolidate facts
• Dynamo Maths is used to support pupils with dyscalculia

See below for links to inform you more about different areas of our Maths Curriculum and ways in which you can support your child in their Primary Maths journey.