Mathematics
A vision for Mathematics in our school
Fluent
All children are encouraged to learn and recall number facts. They are given plenty of opportunities to practise facts and mathematical skills. They are able to apply what they have learned to new ideas and problems.
Functional
All children can achieve a functional level of mathematics and will be given support to develop necessary mathematical skills for life.
Thoughtful
All children are given opportunities to use reasoning and problem solving skills in Maths. They are encouraged to think about problems and use what they know. They have a variety of methods available to solve problems and know which tool to select.
Fun
Children are engaged in Maths lessons. The use of videos, visuals, music and topic-based Maths is encouraged. They are confident in what they already know and interested in learning new things.
Mastery Approach
At St. Botolph’s, we follow the White Rose Maths Hub Schemes of Learning. This is a mastery scheme, meaning that children spend longer on each topic to enable deeper learning and a more solid understanding. In class, all children work together towards the same objective, within which they might achieve different levels of understanding - and therefore, all children are given the opportunity to access their year group’s curriculum.
The Mastery approach advocates a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) order of learning, where children at every stage are encouraged to see Mathematical problems first through concrete objects, such as tens frames, base 10 blocks or place value counters, and then move to looking at pictorial representations before they deal with abstract calculations. This gives more children the opportunity to understand the foundations of calculating and builds firm understandings of relative value, number, shape and space.
This is supported in our school with a range of resources for teachers and children; physical, paper and online. Teachers are able to choose how best to deliver particular lessons for particular children, to suit teaching and learning styles and to have the most impact for their class. Planning can be adapted to prioritise the DFE/NCETM’s Ready to Progress criteria, ensuring that children have all the building blocks in place to give them the best chance of success at the next stage of their learning.
Progress is monitored through regular assessments linked to White Rose. Children who struggle with Maths are identified early and different streams of intervention, from on-the-day pick up groups, to pre-teaching, to regular “booster” groups are utilised by teachers and teaching assistants at every stage of learning.
Maths lessons happen every day throughout the school to ensure consistency and to encourage retention of important skills. Again, we have a variety of resources teachers can use to ensure that children’s learning is not lost due to the longer gaps between topics when following a Mastery curriculum.
Creating, Growing and Developing Mathematics
Our children will be given the tools they need to become confident mathematicians. They will:
- Know and practise their number facts
- Use the simplest calculation to solve a problem
- Check their number sentences make sense
- Use a variety of mental and written methods and models
- Work neatly and carefully
- Check their answers using estimates and inverse operations
- Enjoy solving problems and challenges