Subject Lead : Miss Calow
INTENT
Here at St. Stephen’s we have designed a Maths curriculum which is accessible to all and will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement.
We endeavour to deliver lessons that are creative and engaging. We want pupils to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
We want pupils to realise that mathematics has been developed over centuries; providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. We want them to know that it is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment.
As our pupil's progress, we intend for them to be able to understand the world, have the ability to reason mathematically, have an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
The National Curriculum for Mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately;
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language;
- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
IMPLEMENTATION
At St. Stephen's, we recognise that children need to be confident and fluent across each yearly objective. To ensure consistent coverage, teachers follow the Power Maths scheme of learning to support their planning. Teachers are also developing their understanding of mastery whilst working with other Trust schools.
High quality resources are used in conjunction and to suppliment the Power Maths scheme, such as NRich, Twinkl, Whiterose Maths and NCETM. These are used to support, stretch and challenge all children within the classroom. In addition, the school’s calculation policy is used to ensure a coherent approach to teaching the operations across our school.
Our curriculum builds on the concrete, pictorial, abstract approach. By using all three, the children can explore and demonstrate their mathematical learning. Together, these elements help to cement knowledge so children truly understand what they have learnt.
All children when introduced to a new concept for the first time are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols. Throughout St. Stephen's School you will see these three methods being used:
- Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.
- Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using these pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.
- Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid by using the concrete and pictorial methods the children can move onto an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
Constant monitoring means that children, who need extra support with their learning, receive high quality intervention time with a teacher or teaching assistant.
IMPACT
With the consistent deliverance of POWER MATHS, we endeavour all children to have a good conceptual understanding of Maths, numerical fluency, problem-solving skill sets and mathematical competence and confidence. Children will be able to master mathematical concepts - with the understanding that some children may master concepts at different rates and may need support in doing so. This is done through:
- Pre and post unit assessments which show good progress
- Formative assessment which takes place on a daily basis and teachers adjusting planning accordingly to meet the needs of their class
- Children taking ownership of their learning and coaching their peers
- Leaders monitoring the effectiveness of teaching frequently through lesson observations, book scrutinies and pupil interviews
- Children enjoying learning new Maths and applying it into a range of different contexts; including cross curricula
- Skills and knowledge learnt throughout school being evident in exercise books and workbooks
- Pupils, regardless of their background, needs or abilities making good progress
- Presentation in Maths being the same as all other books in the curriculum.
