Rationale for the Teaching of Maths

At St Anne’s CE Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that all learners become confident and enthusiastic mathematicians who develop a life-long love of maths.  Our aim is that every child, regardless of their background, ability or needs, is able to succeed and achieve. By providing engaging learning opportunities linked to real life situations, learners become fluent in the fundamentals of maths, are able to follow a line of enquiry using reasoning skills and apply their mathematics understanding effectively to solve problems. We provide a high-quality, broad and balanced curriculum where learners can make sense of the world around them and become confident mathematicians by thinking creatively and through practical activity, exploration and discussion.

Our curriculum shows clear progression in line with age related expectations and our concrete, pictorial and abstract mastery approach, allows children to explore skills and knowledge in depth and gain a secure and competent understanding of mathematical concepts. Learning is broken down into logical small steps to enable the children to become confident mathematicians developing competency in fluency, reasoning and problem solving across a wide range of topics.

Our aims in developing the children as mathematicians:

• To enable all children to become confident, competent and independent mathematicians. 

• To build a deep conceptual understanding of maths and its related content so that children can apply their learning in different situations.

• To develop oracy through maths and the children’s ability to articulate, discuss and explain their thinking using appropriate mathematical vocabulary. 

• To celebrate ‘Marvellous Mistakes’ where children see mistakes as learning tools – there is an emphasis placed upon developing the power to ‘think’ rather than just the ‘do’.

• To instil the mind-set in every child and staff member that everyone can do maths and that maths is for everyone.

• To develop children into resilient and inquisitive learners – empowering them with the skills needed to succeed.
• To deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum, taught by highly-enthusiastic staff, which sparks curiosity and excitement and which nurtures confidence in maths.

The aim of our curriculum is to ensure that all of our children have the best possible start to engaging with maths. The consistent structure of our lessons, which focuses on effective pace and active learning, the whole-school focus on mastery and high levels of challenge and the shared practice of modelling vocabulary and celebrating mistakes, all serve to ensure that all of our children feel confident and successful when working as mathematicians.

How we teach maths

Mathematics is taught on a daily basis throughout the school to ensure effective progression of the children’s understanding. Early mathematics begins with the Early Learning Goals, where children are introduced to being mathematicians through a very practical, hands-on approach, rich in vocabulary and child-led exploration. Opportunities to develop pupil’s understanding of number, shape, space and measure are woven through all aspects of the EYFS curriculum. Children are continuously encouraged to count, identify shapes, measure, make comparisons and to link mathematics to the environment around them.

Across both key stages, the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum are achieved through a mastery approach using a variety of different teaching strategies to encourage active learning: effective use of vocabulary, sentence stems and oracy skills are developed through teacher pupil discussion and paired or small group discussion; learning is consolidated through practical work involving manipulatives, and the skills and concepts learned are applied through group activities, independent work and real life investigations. Pupils are given the opportunity to practise basic skills, solve problems and use reasoning to explain their ideas.

As number is at the heart of maths, a significant amount of time (through Mastering Number in EYFS and Key Stage 1) is spent reinforcing the understanding of number in order to build competency and ensure children can confidently access the rest of the curriculum.

Key arithmetic knowledge and skills are revisited regularly along with the core principles of the maths curriculum, allowing repetition to embed learning. We aim to ensure that mathematics is a high profile subject which children view positively and with a ‘Can do’ attitude encouraging success at all levels.

When working as mathematicians, the children begin with revisiting prior learning through oral work and mental calculations; this is followed by the main teaching (linked to the learning objective) where methods are modelled, explained and explored using an ‘I do’, we do’ and ‘you do’ approach. Hinge questions are then used to allow both teacher assessment and pupil self-assessment of the level of understanding. Pupils then choose their own level of challenge within a range of differentiated fluency, problem solving and reasoning independent activities. The main teaching points are consolidated or the next steps introduced in a plenary session in which pupils are given time to review, reflect on, discuss and evaluate their work and learning. 

Logical sequences of lessons are broken down into small steps to provide learning objectives for each lesson with differentiated WALTs for SEND pupils clearly linked to specific year group objectives. Detailed flipcharts (linked to the States of Being) are used for each lesson and follow a whole school format:  shared learning objectives and success criteria, key questions, teacher modelling of methods (using ‘I do, We do, You do’ strategy), key vocabulary, effective hinge questions, differentiated activities and self-assessment opportunities. 

Before the start of each unit, prior learning and knowledge is assessed through entry and exit tasks. This informs planning to ensure that misconceptions are addressed and that lessons are pitched to include a good level of challenge. Across the school, lessons include aspects of challenge for all learners through ‘Try it, Use it, Prove it' and extension activities. 

‘Try it’ tasks aim to improve the understanding and accuracy of key skills and facts through frequent and varied practice.

 'Use it' tasks allow learners to apply and further develop their mathematical skills when problem solving in a variety of different contexts.

Finally, ‘Prove it’ tasks require the children to explain, justify and reason their thinking using mathematical language and worked examples.

Times Tables

Multiplication tables and their related facts are fundamental to the children working as mathematicians. Rapid recall of times tables and related division facts are practised frequently from Year 2 to Year 6 using a variety of different learning strategies including chanting, Step counting, TTRS and booklets.

Mathematical Vocabulary

Children are encouraged and expected to articulate their ideas and thoughts clearly and use their reasoning to develop learning to a deeper level. When working as mathematicians, children are encouraged to celebrate, analyse and learn from any mistakes justifying and explaining their corrections.

The curriculum for both Maths and Enquiry reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development of the subject.  The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof. Vocabulary is explicitly taught throughout each unit of learning.  All pupils have access to the vocabulary displayed on the working wall and in books/on tables.  The definition and application of the vocabulary is modelled continuously throughout the unit of work using sentence stems.  There is a high expectation for pupils to use, model and apply the vocabulary in their verbal and written reasoning.

How we celebrate our Maths learning

Teachers monitor and assess the children’s understanding and identify misconceptions through the use of hinge questioning and through marking work. Entry and exit tasks provide an effective form of assessment and show the progression made by each pupil.) Teachers use a variety of assessments (NFER, SATs) alongside teacher judgement to inform planning, address gaps in knowledge and assess progress.

Marvellous Mathematicians are celebrated through displayed work in the maths gallery (which visitors, pupils and children can see) and through awarding a ‘mathematician of the week’ certificate. This is a chance to praise members of each class and reflect on learning throughout the week. 

The Times Tables Rock Stars website is used to promote the learning and rapid recall of accurate multiplication facts. Each learner has a personal login which enables them to independently practice the times tables, and earn 'coins' which they can spend on kitting out their avatar with the latest rock star must-haves.

National Curriculum and Ready to Progress Mapping