Maths

At Tankersley St Peters, our vision for mathematics ensures every pupil is taught a broad, balanced, engaging and relevant curriculum that takes into account the requirements of the National Curriculum. Our mastery approach curriculum ensures that every child can achieve excellence in mathematics, fosters positive and confident attitudes and develops a ‘can do’ attitude in our children.  Using a wide range of models, visual manipulatives and practical resources, we develop a deep conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency. 

Using the White Rose Maths Hub documents, our teachers ensure that mathematics is taught progressively and builds on prior learning, using year group concepts and objectives. We have sequenced our curriculum to build children’s depth of understanding when teaching each mathematical skill and our children are given many opportunities to consolidate prior knowledge. 

INTENT 

We believe that all our children should have:

• • A deep understanding of maths and number. 
  • A positive and resilient attitude towards mathematics. 
  • Competence and confidence in mathematical knowledge, concepts and skills. 
  • An ability to solve problems, to reason, to think logically and to work systematically and accurately. 
  • A range of learning strategies: working both collaboratively and independently. 
  • Fluency in mathematics where our children can express ideas confidently and talk about the subject using mathematical language. 
  • An understanding of the importance of mathematics in everyday life. 

Our maths curriculum aims to ensure that all our children:

• • Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through placing number at the heart of our curriculum with daily practice to ensure fluency of number facts 
  • Reason mathematically through ensuring discussion plays a vital role in all lessons; children are actively encouraged to discuss with peers and teachers, ‘how and why’ using mathematical language.  
  • Can solve problems by ensuring problem solving is embedded in lessons and variation of questions are used to enable children to apply their knowledge to different situations. 
  • Are challenged, which is built into lessons for children who grasp concepts rapidly through sophisticated problems. 
  • Can attend same day intervention, which is provided for children who are not sufficiently fluent to consolidate their understanding. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

• • Our mastery approach to the curriculum is designed to develop children's knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts from the Early Years through to the end of Y6.  
  • In school, we follow the National Curriculum and use White Rose Small Steps as a guide to support teachers with coverage, progression planning and assessment.  
  • To ensure there are planned opportunities for children to revisit their learning in Countdown Maths and Maths Meetings. This allows for a greater depth of understanding and supports our commitment of a mastery approach. 

Activities cover a wide range of mathematical knowledge, many with an emphasis on practical work and applying skills. Each sequence is taught using small steps with many opportunities given for Concrete, Pictorial(including bar model) and Abstract approaches, and variation through question types: Fluency, Reasoning and Problem Solving. We build on skills and understanding in a progressive way, where mathematical connections are also made to other themes. 

Maths Meetings take place daily to deepen fluency. Questions are planned carefully to ensure depth of understanding.  Same day Maths Interventions take place to help pupils to practice tricky concepts, deepen understanding and post teach mathematical gaps- keep up, not catch up! 

Our children are encouraged to be confident in maths and to apply the skills that they learn to problem solving and reasoning using the motto… use what you know to find out what you don’t.  

Children are given many opportunities as possible to explain their learning- verbally, pictorially and written. Our children are expected to answer questions in a complete sentence to develop depth of understanding and reinforce key vocabulary.  

Children are expected to be fluent in all times tables and number bonds/relationships by the end of year 4; they can practice their times tables at home on the interactive TT Rock Stars website. 

Countdown Maths aids retention in key mathematical concepts. Pupils complete a maximum of 10 maths questions on the board first thing each morning.  These are pitched using age related objectives and include at least one of each of the four operations + - x ÷ x tables and also fluency, word type problems and reasoning.Questions are completed promptly and marked together as a class (with some questions picked out for clarification /misconceptions). 

IMPACT 

• • Children demonstrate a deep understanding of maths. This includes the recollection of the times tables.  
  • Children display a positive and resilient attitude towards mathematics. 
  • Children show confidence in believing that they will achieve. 
  • Each child achieves objectives (expected standard) for their year group.  
  • The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons.  
  • Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems. 

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