Mathematics
At Weaverham Forest Primary School, the Maths curriculum is designed to create enthusiastic learners with inquisitive minds. Positive attitudes towards mathematics are promoted through children recognising the importance of maths in our everyday lives through exposure to real-life contexts.
We believe that every child can succeed and make progress in maths through following a mastery approach to teaching. Children are encouraged to be creative with their learning by applying prior knowledge and skills to new concepts, linking common themes and ideas. Developing children's mathematical ideas and explanations are key to mastering and understanding a concept, therefore, opportunities are provided for children to reason and solve problems. High-quality and varied resources ensure that lessons incorporate a level of challenge which deepens mathematical understanding.
Intent:
At Weaverham Forest, we follow a mastery approach to teaching maths. Children will succeed in maths, developing a conceptual understanding which has been built on over time through practice, exploration, investigation and application.
Children will have enthusiasm for the subject and will:
- Represent concepts in a variety of ways: concrete, pictorial, abstract (with symbols).
- Describe and explain their learning to others, sharing their own examples with confidence.
- Make connections between areas of learning and real life.
- Think mathematically in order to explain their learning, reason and solve problems.
- Build resilience when faced with mathematical problems and challenges.
- Recall, use and apply learning in new contexts.
- As a school, we ensure that children understand maths by following the CPA approach (concrete, pictorial, abstract):
Concrete - children use concrete objects and manipulatives to represent and understand what they are doing.
Pictorial - transfer concrete manipulatives pictorially to aid reasoning and problem solving.
Abstract - use alongside concrete and pictorial repesntations to link abstract methods and procedures with their uderstanding.
Implement:
Daily Maths lessons ensure that the National Curriculum (2014) is delivered through high-quality, engaging resources such as White Rose, Deepening Understnding, NCETM PD materials, NCETM Teaching for Mastery documents, NRiCH ...Through using the White Rose yearly overview, we ensure thorough coverage of NC objectives and progression across the school. The order may be altered as we identify and prioritize gaps in learning, adapting to the eeds of our children. Sequencing of the maths curriculum is important to ensure facts and methods are embedded before introducing new content. Small steps allow us to build on prior knowledge and develop a deep, conceptual understanding.
NCETM PD materials, and the NCETM 'Teaching for Mastery' documents are used to drive our curriculum at the correct pitch and support children in retaining their knowledge. Children will access high-quality resources, providing opportunities to explore, take risks and make connections with inquisitive minds.
Our mastery approach involves mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem solving. All children experience each stage of this learning.
Fluency Learning:
Basic ‘straight forward’ fluency is practiced and secure before moving on to varied fluency where the children have to think a little deeper. Fluency enables a child to apply a skill in multiple contexts and is the foundation to problem solving.
Morning 'Me & You' arithmetic and ‘Flashback Friday’ revisit previously learnt skills. Through this, and specific questioning, children make links between mental and written calculation methods.
Specific mathematical vocabulary is used across the school—progression is based upon the Rising Stars documentation.
Reasoning Learning: Part of every lesson ...
During fluency, children reason about numbers, choices of numbers, choices of order … applying logical thinking.
During problem solving, children reason by making connections between concepts, identifying patterns, making generalisations …
As a school, we follow the NRICH five levels of reasoning:
- Describe—all children reason here—can be verbally.
- Explain—all children—TA might be questioning.
- Convince
- Justify
- Prove —children making conjectures and generalisations - could be as part of a whole class.
Problem Solving Learning:
Children solve a wide range of routine and non-routine problems within their learning. In order for all children to access these types of problems, practical manipulatives will be used as support and/or children may be guided by an adult’s questions. Substantial problems and investigations encourage deeper thinking and allow for opportunities to make generalisations.
Resources such as NRiCH, and those from Deepening Understanding, allow teachers to provide opportunities for children to work on the same task which is altered to provide depth or support.
Impact:
Pupil voice will demonstrate that children develop inquisitive minds where they take risks with maths and make connections across concepts. They will discuss their learning with pride and enthusiasm. Children will be aware of the importance of maths as an essential skill in everyday life and recognise where it is used.
Pitch is inline with NC expectations through the use of the NCETM and high-quality resources: NCETM PD materials, RtP, T4M documents, the NC and First4Maths assessment tags. Each term, moderation is carried out, focusing on specific areas and looking at progression across the school.
Teachers use termly NfER tests; Y2 and Y6 teachers use ’past papers’ and have external data.