The Maths Curriculum
Intent
- Ensure children become fluent in the fundamentals of maths, developing their conceptual understanding and ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- Develop children’s ability to solve problems, to think logically and to work systematically and accurately in a range of contexts.
- Ensure that children are equipped with the mathematical vocabulary needed to develop an argument, justify and prove their ideas.
- Develop reasoning skills so that children can identify patterns and relationships.
- Present maths as a challenging, exciting and relevant subject and in doing so, ensure children become confident, resilient and creative mathematicians.
Implementation
- White Rose Maths Schemes of Learning are followed so that there is clear progression across each year group and learning is built upon, year by year (see Our Lady's Maths Curriculum document for more detail).
- Fluency and Problem Solving or Reasoning takes place in every lesson.
- Lessons are adapted to ensure the needs of all learners are met.
- Maths working walls display key vocabulary and are referred throughout lessons and topics.
- Weekly/fortnightly maths checks develop children’s fluency skills, revisiting previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures.
- Pre-teach sessions enable less confident children or children at risk of falling behind to further develop maths skills and concepts.
- TT Rockstars is used to develop children’s fluency in times tables and related facts.
- Practical maths equipment is available in all classrooms to support children in exploring concrete, pictorial and abstract ways of working. Equipment displayed in classrooms so that children can self-select and become more self-sufficient.
- Maths events and workshops inside and outside school allow the subject leaders to share best practice.
Impact
- All children leave Our Lady's Catholic Primary School with the necessary skills to take them on to further education.
- Children enjoy their maths lessons and talk positively about what they are learning.
- Children talk confidently about maths using appropriate mathematical vocabulary, justifying and explaining their reasoning.
- Children are able to demonstrate their understanding of a range of mathematical concepts in a variety of ways, using concrete apparatus, diagrams and visual representations and also by using more abstract methods.
- Children of all abilities have a growth mindset towards maths, evidenced by observations and pupil voice.
- Children make excellent progress from their often low starting points despite the many barriers they face.
- Children demonstrate their resilience in problem solving and reasoning and are able to work independently and collaboratively to reach a solution.
- Engagement with TT Rockstars increases so that a larger percentage of children are active players, leading to children being more fluent in recall of their times tables and related facts.
Summary of Maths Curriculum
Maths is taught largely as a whole class, with a balance between teaching fluency of skills, problem solving and using and applying the skills in a variety of contexts. At times, some children may need group intervention or one to one support if they are not meeting the required expectation for their age or have gaps in their skills.
The teachers use a wide variety of materials to help deliver the maths curriculum and lessons can have a practical, investigative or written focus.
The curriculum is significantly more demanding than it ever was. We use the White Rose Maths Scheme as a basis for all our planning - more information can be found below.