At Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery, Mathematics is taught across the whole school from the very youngest children in our nursery to those in Year 6 following the aims of the National Curriculum. In EYFS, children build the foundations for Mathematics, through practical ‘hands on’ experience and opportunities both indoors and outdoors, focusing on Number and Shape, Space and Measure as they move towards their Early Learning Goals. In KS1 and KS2 children continually build on these foundations, as they progress through the National Curriculum. Our maths curriculum in KS1 and KS2 follows the 'White Rose Maths' scheme. It ensures that children progressively learn new knowledge and skills so that they develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
Maths Intent Statement
At Bishop Lonsdale School, we understand that mathematics is important for everyday life and therefore it is imperative that children have a firm understanding of the fundamentals of maths and are able to recall their learning and apply it to everyday situations and problem solving. To allow children to develop the skills we give them the opportunity to:
- Increase their fluency across the maths curriculum, including varied fluency and frequent practise and key skills so that children can quickly and accurately recall known facts and develop understanding of key concepts.
- Apply their understanding to reasoning, explaining their understanding, make generalisations, justifying their ideas and provide proof to back up their ideas.
- Solve problems through the application of their skills including breaking down problems into multi-steps and systematically working through them.
We aim to ensure that all pupil:
- Achieve their full potential with quality teaching and learning
• Develop a positive attitude towards Mathematics
• Become competent and confident in mathematical knowledge and skills
• Know number facts and have a good understanding of the number system
• Calculate accurately and effectively, by using a range of mental and written strategies
• Develop an ability to solve problems by reasoning and thinking logically and systematically
• Develop oracy and vocabulary skills in order to be able to communicate Mathematics with others using mathematical terms
• Become able to use and apply Mathematics across the curriculum and in everyday life
Maths curriculum overview
How we teach maths
We follow the White Rose scheme. There is a clearly structured teaching and learning process that helps teachers make certain that every child masters each maths concept securely and deeply. For each year group, the curriculum is broken down into core concepts, taught in blocks. A block divides into smaller learning steps – lessons. Step by step, strong foundations of cumulative knowledge and understanding are built.
1 Knowledge recap -This is a revisit of previous lessons including language and vocabulary (‘sticky knowledge’). Children complete the knowledge recap in their maths jotter.
2. Lessons content - Over a unit of work small step lessons are taught which take small steps and include checks for progress. The units of work deepen understanding and make connections with what children already know reinforcing learning in different contexts. Fluency, reasoning and problem solving are integrated into every lesson to ensure children are given the opportunity to apply their skills. There is also an opportunity for same-day intervention to take place.
3. Independent practice – The main task. This is the work from White Rose. Teachers use assessment from the ‘we do’ part of the lesson to identify individuals who need further practice or guidance. This information is used to plan next steps and highlights gaps in learning. All children record their learning in their Maths books.
Practical Work - Sometimes work may be mainly practical using a range of resources. Practical work is photographed and stuck into maths books.
4. Plenary – This might include ‘True or False’ questions (WRM) and/or challenge questions or a discussion of areas that have been assessed.
End of unit assessment - At the end of each unit there is an end of unit check and there are also deepening and strengthening activities to support a range of learners.
In EYFS, children build the foundations for mathematics through practical ‘hands-on’ experiences. They are given opportunities both indoors and outdoors, focusing on ‘number and shape’ and ‘space and measure’ as they move towards their Early Learning Goals.
Assessment - NTS tests are also used to assess children’s understanding. These are completed termly. Teacher assessment is used alongside the NTS tests.
Vocabulary Progression:
• Using correct mathematical language is crucial for thinking, learning and communicating mathematically. We encourage children to explain what they are doing and why they are doing it. Staff model the use of mathematical vocabulary and children use this language within their everyday lessons. There is a whole school vocabulary progression document that identified the vocabulary to be taught and used within each year group.
Times Table Rock Stars
Times Table Rock stars is used to develop children’s fluency in mathematics. and to increase their speed and accuracy. Children from year 1 to year 6 are given their own username and password so that they are able to access TTRS from both school and home. This practise is fundamental to support children in become fluent in the recall of multiplication tables and division facts.
Impact Statement
What is the impact of our curriculum?
- Children are happy learners who talk enthusiastically about their learning and eager to further their progress in maths
- The emphasis on accurate use of mathematical language is evident during class/pupil discussions
- Children are fluent in number and arithmetic
- More consistent teaching practices that are well-known to be more effective for pupil progress long term, evident across school
- Cross-school monitoring highlights the high level of challenge for all ability groups, evident throughout topics through reasoning and problem-solving activities
- Teacher assessment of the depth of learning is also increasingly accurate
These factors ensure that we are able to achieve high standards, with achievement at the end of KS1 and KS2 in-line with that of the national average.