Maths
Intent
Mathematics is a fundamental, integral part of our daily lives. The mathematical skills that our pupils develop at Barford St. Peter’s Primary School will ensure that they have the secure foundations and mathematical resilience necessary to achieve at secondary school and beyond. We therefore aim to provide a high quality Mathematics curriculum which will inspire, challenge and engage the pupils at our school so that they develop the essential skills to become confident, flexible mathematicians resilient in the face of challenge and confident in the selection and execution of mathematical strategies.
“Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject."
(National Curriculum 2014)
Implementation
The teaching and implementation of the Mathematics curriculum at our school is based on the National Curriculum and planned using White Rose resources, complemented by a range of additional activities. The National Curriculum divides Mathematics into the following areas:
- Number – place value
- Number – addition and subtraction; multiplication and division
- Number – fractions, decimals & percentages
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Statistics
- Ratio and Proportion
- Algebra
Our teaching of Mathematics places an emphasis on the mastery approach; teachers provide fluency, reasoning and problem-solving activities to ensure that a secure understanding of mathematical concepts is attained and developed.
We have adapted the White Rose Mathematics curriculum to ensure that the progression of skills matches the needs of the pupils at our school. We then use a range of appropriate resources to ensure that our lessons are diverse, engaging and bespoke to our school community.
Before beginning a new area of learning with our pupils, prior knowledge is assessed and any misconceptions identified. These initial assessments are then used to inform future planning and interventions are used as required.
Teachers at our school are encouraged to use a variety of strategies to deliver the curriculum to their year group. These strategies include:
- Practical resources - to explore concepts and to understand why a particular method works.
- Fluency – to ensure through repetition that key concepts are secure.
- Problem Solving – to ensure that our pupils can first identify the strategies needed to solve a problem and then to accurately apply these strategies to achieve the solution(s).
- Reasoning – to encourage pupils to explain concepts and justify their opinions.
- Conjecture – to encourage pupils to develop their own theory/idea and then explore this.
- Collaboration – to encourage pupils to use language and co-operation skills to solve problems together.
- Assessment – to confirm our pupil attainment and discover which areas need to be re-visited.
Impact
Through the implementation of the Mathematics curriculum as outlined above, the pupils at Barford St.Peter’s will be:
- Confident in the recall of the key facts for their year group.
- Confident in their ability to identify the strategies needed to solve a maths problem.
- Accurate in the application of both mental strategies and formal written methods.
- Able to articulate their reasoning and mathematical thinking using the appropriate vocabulary.
- Able to identify patterns and make connections between mathematical concepts.
- Able to see for themselves the progress they are making and to be proud of it.
- Flexible learners – resilient in the face of challenge and confidently able to adapt to a different strategy if the initial approach does not work.