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Maths

At Acre View Primary School, the teaching of maths has been carefully considered to enable our pupils to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice and with the challenge of increasingly complex problems over time. Developing mathematical reasoning skills, children follow lines of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations and develop arguments and justification based on their mathematical knowledge.

Intent – What are we trying to achieve? 

  • 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 
  • ‘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’
  • Instil the mind-set in every child and staff member that everyone can do maths and that maths is for everyone…EVERYONE CAN!
  • Children develop into resilient and inquisitive learners – skills needed to become life-long mathematicians
  • Deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum, taught by highly-enthusiastic staff, which sparks curiosity and excitement and which nurtures confidence in maths

Implementation – How is our vision translated into practice?How is 

We use the White Rose maths scheme. This allows us to make a coherent journey through the national curriculum and each year the group follows a medium-term plan where small, cumulative steps build a solid foundation of deep mathematical understanding. Formative assessment is threaded throughout both 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 stage to the next. This approach allows us to identify and plug the gaps in learning, knowledge and skills.

In order to meet our aims and requirements of the Primary National Curriculum, we will implement the following:

  • Teachers reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Mathematics – EVERYONE CAN! Maths is for EVERYONE! 
  • To develop secure and deep conceptual understanding, staff plan for the use of concrete resources, varied representations and structures
  • Regular and ongoing formative assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child
  • Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention.
  • Success criteria are set out in each session in order to guide children to achieve success
  • Teaching that is underpinned by methodical curriculum design and supported by carefully crafted lessons and resources to foster deep conceptual and procedural knowledge
  • Practice and consolidation play a central role. Carefully designed variation within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts
  • Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual and procedural knowledge and assess children regularly to identify those requiring intervention, so that all children keep up. 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
  • Regular basic skills sessions recap and rehearse key skills to aid retention and support

Impact – The Difference Our Curriculum Makes

Children are happy learners who talk enthusiastically about their learning and eager to further their progress in maths. By the end of Year 6, transitioning to secondary school, we aspire that our pupils will have developed a bank of efficient and accurate skills that can be used to calculate effectively. These will have been underpinned by the Concrete Pictoral Abstract (CPA) process, so children understand rather than just do, which ultimately will allow children to identify when answers do not make mathematical sense.

Children will be able to apply these calculation skills and understanding of other areas to become confident and resilient problem-solvers with the ability to reason and articulate their ideas mathematically. Due to the embedding of fact sentences, children will have the language to be able to justify, reason and explain their answers.