Mathematics

 "For with God, Everything is Possible (Matthew 19:26)"

#everythingispossible

Through our continued service to our community and rooted in our Christian Values, the opportunities we provide inspire our children and adults at our school to learn, to grow and to flourish. We are committed to developing our children into confident individuals who make a positive difference through developing a respect for themselves, each other and the world around them. For with God, everything is possible. (Matthew 19:26) 

In our maths curriculum, we place an important emphasis on mastery in mathematics, particularly real-life maths making it as meaningful as possible for our children.

 Through our vision, we provide a high-quality education within a creative, stimulating, encouraging and mutually supportive environment where children are enabled to develop the skills that they require to become successful in maths.   Mathematics, a universal language that enables understanding of the world, is an integral part of the curriculum. Attainment in the subject is also the key to opening new doors to further study and employment.

Our five Crown Principles drive our maths curriculum.

Challenge

Through the ‘challenge’ curriculum driver we want our children to thrive on mathematical challenges. Within a teaching sequence, our children will be challenged in all three core aims of the maths curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem solving. All staff have high expectations of pupils in lessons and expect them to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways using a concrete, pictorial, abstract approach.

Resilience

Through the ‘resilience’ curriculum driver, we focus on resilience as a large element of our maths lessons. We have high expectations within our maths curriculum focusing on the mastery approach to teaching mathematics. Children develop fluency within a learning concept and then apply their knowledge to reasoning and problem-solving tasks to support their resilience when facing new challenges. Our feedback policy within maths also promotes resilience by encouraging our children to identify and correct their own misconceptions through teacher prompting and/or attempt a further challenge to develop their learning further.

Opportunities

Through ‘opportunities’, we raise aspirations to broaden our children’s horizons – opening their eyes to the myriad careers they might pursue. We strive to provide all children with mathematical experiences, not just in maths lessons, but in other lessons and events happening within school. Maths Ambassadors help facilitate and organise mathematics-based events and links. We have TTRockstars battles throughout the year to raise the profile of times tables. We strive to ensure our pupils have a clear understanding of the link between achieving well and having goals for the future

Wellbeing 

At Queen’s Park, we understand that happiness is linked to personal growth, health and development. We ensure our children are happy, healthy individuals. In maths, we aim for all children to be confident and happy mathematicians in every lesson. Work is scaffolded to meet the needs of all learners allowing children to feel confident, building self-esteem

kNowledge

Through the ‘kNowledge’ curriculum driver, we encourage our children to be resourceful learners. ‘kNowledge’ is a vital part of mathematics at Queen’s Park. We don’t just provide children with knowledge to apply to academic tests, we aim to make our children life-long mathematicians by linking maths to real life situations making it meaningful. Our teachers teach with the aim to ensure pupils have sufficient knowledge and attain proficiency in maths to progress through primary school and beyond.

Mathematics at Queen’s Park has it’s foundations set in the three core aims of the Primary National Curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem solving.

Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which our young mathematicians need to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. Our young mathematicians need to develop automaticity in their recall of key facts and procedures and need to be able to quickly retrieve these facts from their long-term memory to apply them to more complex reasoning and problem-solving tasks.  

Queen’s Park mathematicians are provided with many opportunities to revisit prior learning throughout their learning journey through school and are challenged to deepen their knowledge with a focus on a mastery approach to deepen understanding.

To ensure all our children develop into confident, young mathematicians throughout their time at our school, our curriculum is the product of careful sequencing and linking of declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge.

• Declarative knowledge (facts and figures -I know that)
• Procedural knowledge (methods-I know how)
• Conditional knowledge (reasoning and problem solving – I know when)
• This knowledge will then lead to Conceptual Understanding (making mathematical connections – I know why…)

Throughout their time at our school, our young mathematicians develop their ability to explain and reason with their mathematical thinking in all areas of knowledge identified above.

Our lesson structure, our sequential curriculum planning and our teachers’ use of precise questions ensures our young mathematicians systematically acquire core mathematical facts, concepts, methods and strategies in order to become proficient mathematicians.  

Our children are not only mathematicians within their maths curriculum; our Crown Curriculum provides opportunities to apply their mathematical knowledge and across the wider curriculum. Subject leaders have ensured that maths links in other subjects are exploited wherever possible and direct links to real life maths are embedded throughout the whole curriculum.

Our maths curriculum offer ensures a well-planned, sequential curriculum is delivered throughout school, underpinned by the National Curriculum and its core aims that: all pupils be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and are able to solve problems by applying their knowledge of mathematics.

Long Term Plans for Maths

Our long-term plan is underpinned by the National Curriculum. Our maths long term plan ensures a sequential curriculum is delivered which allows pupils to learn, practise and become proficient with the facts and methods they need to secure their automaticity in fluency to then apply their understanding to reason and problem solve. There is a clear emphasis on revisiting prior learning (from previous year groups and from within a year group), providing opportunities to rehearse key concepts and deepening knowledge throughout the year with a focus on a mastery approach to deepen understanding. The sequence of learning within a year group has been strategically planned to ensure all opportunities for building on and retrieving prior learning are exploited. Our maths curriculum is designed to help pupils to gain increasing mathematical automaticity, which allows our children to build confidence in their ability and apply their knowledge to solve problems across all areas of the curriculum. An example of our long-term plan is shown below.

It is important to note, that based on the needs of a particular cohort, the topics maybe taught in a different order than shown on this plan.

Our Long Term Plans are supported by an overview of coverage for each year group which is outlined on our maths roadmaps.

Medium Term Plans for Maths

Our medium-term planning documents clearly outline each unit objectives from the National Curriculum and the carefully planned, sequential smaller steps which children need to master to achieve the intended end point objective. Our medium-term plans clearly link to prior learning opportunities from both within a year group’s curriculum and from previous year’s teaching, promote understanding of the interconnected concepts within mathematics and provide opportunities for rehearsal of key concepts. Within a sequence of learning, where applicable, key declarative and procedural knowledge are sequenced together to reflect the reciprocal learning relationship between them. Once secure, opportunities to develop conditional knowledge through application to reasoning and problem solving are planned.

The medium-term plans include regular pre and post assessment opportunities to ensure that the teaching of mathematics is targeted to our individual children’s needs through adaptive planning following regular low stake, formative assessment opportunities. Our pre assessments assess if the children’s key knowledge and understanding from the previous year groups learning is secure. Analysis of these assessments allows teachers to effectively establish the accurate starting point within their lesson sequence and/or target individual children who require further targeted intervention. Our post assessments assess the children’s knowledge and understanding of the learning taught within part of a sequence to allow teachers to assess whether the children have the secure knowledge and understanding to progress to a subsequent step or whether they require further targeted intervention. This ensures that new content is not taught to our children until we are confident that they have embedded knowledge of the pre-requisites required to ensure later success.  An example of part of our medium-term planning is below:

For a complete example of a long sequence, please see our example medium term planning on our school website.

Progression Sequences

Our maths curriculum is specifically planned to ensure clear progression across a sequence of learning (including revisiting prior knowledge from previous learning) and progression within the teaching of a step, with opportunities planned to embed a sequential progression from concrete to pictorial to abstract. The progression from fluency and automatic recall of declarative and procedural knowledge to application of this through conditional knowledge to reasoning and problem solving is also embedded into each small progression step of teaching. This allows our children to embed a secure, deep understanding of mathematical concepts alongside exploring opportunities to apply their learning.

The key declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge are carefully planned within each progression step and are shown on our key knowledge and skills mats, which are also shared with parent/carers at the start of a teaching unit to enable them to further support their child at home. 

Progression in the teaching of calculation across school is also strategically planned and is displayed within our Calculation Policy. This ensures sequential learning is embedded across year groups when teaching calculation strategies so that children always build on prior knowledge when learning a new concept, whilst progressing ultimately to the most efficient method. Calculation methods are taught across the school by linking manipulatives with formal and informal methods, e.g., use of ten grids leading to pictorial methods then to formal addition and subtraction. Within the teaching of calculation, the explicit teaching of vocabulary is also planned to be sequential, with new vocabulary teaching building on prior learning throughout the teaching of calculation across the school. This is outlined within the Calculation Policy, an example of which can be seen below: 

Vocabulary is V.I.T.A.L in Maths

Valued

We value vocabulary in maths and it underpins everything we do.

Identified

Mathematical vocabulary is identified by the teacher in every maths lesson and is explicitly planned for. It has also been highlighted with the Calculations Policy by the maths lead.

Taught

Vocabulary is explicitly taught in every lesson. It is an integral part of our seven-part lesson structure. Vocabulary is displayed on our working walls.

Applied

Once vocabulary is taught, it is applied. Children apply their vocabulary in their talk tasks and by using and identifying it with their independent tasks. Mathematical vocabulary will be used in reasoning and problems solving tasks, to further embed children’s understanding and within assessment outcomes in maths.

Learned

Vocabulary is revisited and relearned. Vocabulary sticks in the children’s long-term memory. Lesson by lesson, year by year, children revisit and relearn key mathematical vocabulary

Through an ‘explosion of experiences’, our youngest mathematicians are exposed to the foundations of their maths learning. Carefully planned maths experiences are provided for our children. High quality lessons and continuous provision in EYFS provides the building blocks for our Queen’s Park mathematicians. Maths vocabulary is planned for and staff ensure children are exposed to the correct terminology when exploring experiences that have mathematical links. Staff are role models in demonstrating mathematical vocabulary and this is further enhanced in our excellent provision. The foundations of maths learning in EYFS is linked to Year 1 and beyond.

Year 1 to Year 6

Year on year, children will build upon their mathematical knowledge, skills and vocabulary. The maths lead has created a meaningful, sequential learning journey to teach and learn mathematics. Careful curriculum thinking and planning ensures that our children have the subject knowledge and components embedded in their long-term memories.

Pedagogy

Both our staff and children are enthusiastic about maths. Through ongoing quality CPD, we strive to ensure our teachers have expert knowledge of the maths that they teach. Our pedagogy is firmly based upon our curriculum intent of embedding concepts into long-term memory so that they can be recalled and to ensure declarative, procedural knowledge and conditional knowledge are being taught throughout our curriculum leading to conceptual understanding.

Our ‘Queen’s Park Quality First Teaching’ model ensures that all lessons are effective, efficient, and equitable. Lessons are effectively sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and towards defined end points. All lessons are planned to reflect the sequence of learning identified on the medium-term plans. Maths lessons include scaffold or challenge to ensure all learners, including those with SEND, access a well-planned and meaningful maths curriculum. If appropriate, these lessons are modified to meet the needs of the individual.

We ensure a systemic, instructional approach is adopted in all our lessons where children are provided with opportunities to deploy and recall knowledge as well as apply and reason. Our seven-part lesson structure has been strategically designed based on research from the Education Endowment Foundation and Rosenshine Principles to ensure efficiency in every lesson.

The sequence of lessons across maths follows the same structure:

Each block of lessons, follows this structure so prior knowledge is constantly revisited and transferred to long term memory.

Maths lessons include scaffold or challenge ensure all learners have access a well-planned and meaningful maths curriculum.  If appropriate, these lessons are modified to meet the needs of the individual.

Maths Meetings

In addition to our daily maths lessons, all year groups in school also access a daily maths meeting lesson. This is a short lesson which focuses on the retrieval of key declarative knowledge to promote automaticity of core facts. Coverage and sequencing of learning for maths meetings is informed by the outcome of question level analysis of assessments for each key stage.

In the academic year 2022 – 2023, EYFS and Key Stage One are delivering the NCETM’S Mastering Number programme to develop secure firm foundations in the development of number sense to ensure fluency in calculation and confidence and flexibility with number.

Children in Key Stage Two are developing their fluency and automaticity in the recall of multiplication and division facts through the delivery of our own multiplication and division facts programme which is based on diagnositic assessments.

Resources

Our teachers have access to a range of resources to support the teaching of maths in school. We do not follow a published scheme, but staff do have access to the White Rose programme to use as a resource to support the teaching of our medium-term plans. Other resources used include materials from a local maths consultant, NCTEM and Third Space maths. The Mastering Number programme is used throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1.

Intervention

Our maths curriculum offer ensures all our children receive effective, high-quality teaching in the classroom every day; however, we understand that on occasions children may require additional intervention to develop and deepen their learning. Our comprehensive intervention strategy is underpinned by the EEF’s research into effective intervention. Our pre and post assessments heavily inform our intervention strategy within maths alongside formative assessment within a learning sequence. Live marking during a lesson allows for immediate intervention to address misconceptions or deepen understanding. Some children may also be identified through assessment as benefitting from a pre teach maths session with the class teacher prior to a lesson to ensure pre-requisite knowledge is secure. Within the school day, a child may also access mop up maths intervention, one to one or a small group targeted intervention (e.g. through IPP targeted work) or computer based intervention programmes such as Times Tables Rockstars or Numbots. We also run interventions outside of the school day through school led tutoring which identified children are invited to attend.

We understand that we may not see the true impact of our maths curriculum on our children as our maths curriculum is just the beginning of a lifetime of learning.

Our well-constructed and well-taught maths curriculum leads to great outcomes. At Queen’s Park, our philosophy is that broad and balanced leads to great outcomes and meeting end points at the end of each key stage. National assessments are useful indicators of the outcomes our children achieve.

We ensure all groups of children are given the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. We strive to ensure that our children are equipped with the skills (through a growth mindset approach) to fluently be able to retrieve key facts from their semantic memory.

The quality of our children’s work, at every stage, is of a high standard. All learning is built towards an end point and at each stage of their education, we prepare our children for the next stage.

We ensure all our children are fluent in maths to a stage appropriate level with the ultimate aim of proficiency in maths for all our children.

The impact of Queen’s Park maths curriculum is measured through the following:

• Assessment – including low stake pre and post assessments within a learning sequence assessing what the children have been taught as well as a summative termly assessment to assess learning in the long term memory
• National test data
• Pupil voice
• Progress evident in children’s books
• Seeking views of parents where appropriate
• Progress evident in children’s books and record of experiences
• Seeking views of parents where appropriate

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