At Birley Primary Academy, our shared vision for mathematics is:
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:
Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
Our aim is for all children to achieve Mastery in Maths, and we therefore use the White Rose Maths Framework and Guidance to help all children achieve excellence in the subject. Teaching Maths for Mastery involves employing approaches that help pupils to develop a deep and secure knowledge and understanding of mathematics at each stage of their learning, so that by the end of every school year or Key Stage, pupils will have acquired a full understanding (mastery) of the mathematical facts and concepts they have studied. Children are thus encouraged to widen their depth of understanding of their year group’s content, rather than move onto new concepts from higher years. Children develop through the school following a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract progression to fully embed and understand concepts.
Concrete – pupils should have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they doing.
Pictorial – pupils should then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can then be used to reason and solve problems.
Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid, pupils should be able to move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
Our Foundation Stage curriculum is underpinned by the principles laid out in the EYFS Statutory Framework document. However, we are committed to ensuring the confident development of number sense and put emphasis on mastery of key early concepts. We believe that there are six main areas that collectively underpin children’s early mathematical learning, and which provide the firm foundations for the maths that children will encounter as they go up the years in primary school.
They are:
Pupils initially explore numbers to 20 and the development of models and images for numbers as a solid foundation for further progress. Planning is supported by the NCETM materials for Mastery Maths. We give all children opportunity to develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space through varied practical activities that allow them to enjoy, explore, enquire, practise and talk confidently about maths.
Within lessons, there will be a strong element of talk, verbal reasoning between partners, use of practical apparatus and independent activities. To support children’s ability to talk about Maths and thus enhance the quality of their mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding, stem sentences are used within all lessons. Children will always be encouraged to use and apply their learning to solve problems in everyday situations, and to explain their reasoning. Lesson content will primarily be sourced from the following resources: White Rose Schemes of Learning and NCETM teaching for mastery materials. Years 1-6 use the White Rose Maths Hub schemes of learning as their medium term planning documents and these can be viewed below. These schemes provide teachers with exemplification for maths objectives and are broken down into fluency, reasoning and problem solving – the key aims of the National Curriculum. They support a mastery approach to teaching and learning and have number at their heart. They provide opportunities to build reasoning and problem solving elements into the curriculum. To ensure continuity and progression to the methodology of approaches to written calculations, teachers refer to the academy’s Calculation Policy.
Wherever possible, links are made with other curriculum subject areas to ensure children use mathematical skills and knowledge within cross-curricular – reinforcing learning taking place in their typical daily lessons. Examples of this can be found in Science, Art and Design & Technology.
The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. Children know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely on in many areas of their daily life. Children have a positive view of maths due to learning in an environment where maths is promoted as being an exciting and enjoyable subject in which they can investigate and ask questions; they know that it is reasonable to make mistakes because this can strengthen their learning through the journey to finding an answer. Children are confident to ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem.
At Birley Primary Academy, the expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. We aim for each child to be confident in each yearly objective and develop their ability to use this knowledge to develop a greater depth understanding to solve varied fluency problems as well as problem solving and reasoning questions. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged through rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. Where necessary, earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
At Birley Primary Academy, we monitor and measure the impact of our curriculum through learning walks, book scrutiny, pupil voice and formative and summative assessment. In regards to assessment, our teachers carry out formative assessment – using assessment for learning – on a daily basis with feedback and intervention provided to children where necessary. This formative assessment is used alongside summative assessments – termly NFER assessments – by teachers to arrive at a judgements in regards to how children are progressing in the curriculum. Teachers meet to review and moderate individual examples of work against exemplification materials on an academy and locality level to validate judgements. All summative assessment grades are inputted termly on the academy’s tracking system, DC Pro.
By the end of Key Stage 2, we strive to ensure that our pupils are fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics with a conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. Our pupils have the skills to solve problems by applying their Mathematics to a variety of situations with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios. Further to this, our children will be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language. These skills will be as a result of our teaching of, and curriculum for Mathematics, which is designed to prepare children for their future in and outside of education so that they can become successful in whatever they pursue by leaving our academy by being at least at the expected standard for their age.
Through our curriculum for Mathematics, we ensure that our children are well-equipped for life in modern Britain. Through purposeful subject linkage, such as developing understanding of fractions and percentages through voting systems, we aim for our pupils develop an excellent understanding of democracy, the rule of law, responsibility and liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
Further to this, our curriculum for Mathematics is also driven by SMSC development and this can be exemplified in the following ways;
As a result of this, pupils thrive – enjoying their lives, learning and wanting to make a difference for others.
