Mathematics at Northborough Primary School

Intent

All staff members at Northborough Primary School are committed to ensuring that all our pupils are successful in the three core areas of the Maths National Curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. We know that all pupils need a strong foundation in maths skills to be able to access the learning at primary school and as they move on to secondary school and further education.

To ensure consistency and progression, the school uses the nationally recognised White Rose Maths scheme (version 3.0 - fully aligned to the National Curriculum). The White Rose curriculum is a cumulative curriculum, so that once a topic is covered, it is met many times again in other contexts. For example, place value is revisited in addition and subtraction and multiplication and division. We place firm emphasis on understanding number. We believe that a focus on mental processing ensures pupils are able to access increasingly challenging mathematical learning as they progress through our school. In EYFS and KS1 we use Maths Mastery to secure number fluency and enhancing pupils reasoning skills.

Our curriculum aims to nurture a confidence in maths and equip them with the skills they need to achieve. We aim to help them become confident in their conceptual understanding and use of maths, so that they have the self-belief, determination and mindset to succeed when presented with any challenge.

We also enable children to recognise how maths relates to the wider world in order to give the subject meaning and relevance, so that they can use their mathematical skills and knowledge in real-life situations.

Implementation

Maths is taught as a single lesson on a daily basis, generally one hour per day, and as a cross-curricular subject as appropriate. We follow the teaching sequence outlined by the White Rose Maths Hub scheme of learning v3.0. This ensures that a coherent, consistent approach is implemented in all year groups (See progression map below). White Rose provide teachers with notes and guidance on how to enhance their teaching of the subject along with key vocabulary, questions, discussion and teaching points. The White Rose Maths Hub schemes of learning reflect the content of the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum for Maths.

In EYFS, we prioritise building a secure number sense and a deep understanding of numbers to 10. We follow The Maths Hub Mastering Number scheme, which provides a clear progression and opportunities for children to explore the composition of numbers. This in depth knowledge of number will support children as they move onto early calculation strategies.

In KS1, the children build upon the number sense they have developed in EYFS – progressively applying this to mental calculation strategies. Although Years 1 and 2 follow the White Rose Maths Curriculum, they also complete an additional 10 minute Mastering Number session each day.

In KS2, children continue to progress through the curriculum. There is a focus on formal written methods and the application of these skills to mathematical problems.

The curriculum is broken down into small manageable steps in order to ensure that each lesson has a clear focus and helps children understand concepts by following a carefully planned sequence of lessons. This avoids the cognitive overload that can occur when too many concepts are covered at once and ensures that each lesson contributes to the long-term goal. Within each lesson, children have the opportunity to acquire, practise, apply and deepen their knowledge and skills as appropriate.

Pupils who understand concepts quickly are challenged by being offered problem solving activities to deepen their understanding. Concepts are revisited over time, so that children can reinforce them and embed them into their long-term memory. Teachers have the flexibility to spend longer on specific skills or concepts if they feel it is necessary.

When introduced to a new concept, children have the opportunity to develop their understanding in a variety of ways. Concrete objects and manipulatives can be used to help with understanding. Alongside these, children use pictorial representations that can be used to help reason and solve problems. Concrete and pictorial representations then help support children’s understanding of abstract methods.

In whole class lessons, teachers and TA’s provide scaffolding, adaptive teaching and relevant support for pupils as necessary. Children who are not making expected progress are identified through a range of methods including but not exclusively; verbal responses in class, evidence in books and cold and hot assessments. This can be daily, at the end of units or the end of the term. Subsequently, intervention sessions are put in place to support these children.

For those children with significant additional needs who are working outside of the year group curriculum, individual learning is provided to ensure progress over time.

Classrooms are equipped with working walls to aid in maths lessons. The content of the working walls is flexible and contains key vocabulary, concepts and knowledge as well as the current class learning.

Regular and ongoing formative assessment informs day-to-day teaching and learning and the necessary support to enable all pupils to make progress. Pre-test B ‘cold assessments’ from the previous year are completed before the start of each block. Pre learning tasks are a useful method to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding. Post-test A in the current year, demonstrates pupils understanding of the unit, progress and attainment within that year.

Each term, teachers complete a summative assessment, using PIXL testing; these tests give a benchmark with other PIXL schools and provide a QLA gap analysis. This method enables teachers to see progress term on term and year-on-year. Children who are not making expected progress receive appropriate intervention support.

In-school moderation of learning is conducted by the maths subject leader and by the senior leadership team with staff through book looks. Moderation will also be on a combination of lesson observations, written work and pupil voice.

Impact

• All children to make at least expected progress from their starting points.
• Most children reach end of year expectations.
• Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recollection of the times table.
• Children are able to independently and fluently apply their knowledge to a range of increasingly complex problems.
• Children are reasoning with increased confidence and accuracy.
• Children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts.
• 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 OK to be ‘wrong’ and that this can strengthen their learning.
• 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.
• Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Children’s progress being assessed and tracked using INSIGHT.
• Pupil Progress Meetings where children who are ‘off track’ from their starting points are identified and actions planned to bring them back on track.
• A reflection on skills achieved against the planned outcomes.
• Pupil discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work.
• Learning Walks
• Lesson Observations
• Book looks
• Moderation – internal and within the MAT
• Local and National Data

Maths progression document below gives an at-a-glance guide to how the White Rose Maths curriculum links to the Key Stage 1 and 2 national curriculum, and how it progresses through topics.