Maths
Maths Curriculum at Worthington Primary School
Intent:
At Worthington Primary School, we take a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Essentially, our ethos is that all children can be successful in the study of mathematics. We do not accept that ‘some children cannot do maths’ or that children should be limited by prior attainment. Maths is for everyone! We teach the skills to ensure our children are resilient learners who become life-long mathematicians. We aim to deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum through high quality teaching. In order to improve our mastery approach and improve the quality of our maths teaching, we have implemented Whiterose to aid planning. Our Maths Lead will support and embed this approach into school and will also develop their knowledge of maths mastery by attending sessions with the maths hub.
The Maths Mastery approach enables children to be numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. Children should not be afraid to make mistakes and should fully embrace the fact that mistakes are part of learning! A mastery curriculum promotes a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject, so that children become fluent in calculations; possess a growing confidence to reason mathematically and hone their problem-solving skills.
The intention of the Maths curriculum at Worthington Primary School is for children to be excited about maths! Developing a positive attitude to this subject is essential. Teachers promote children’s enjoyment of maths and provide opportunities for children to build a conceptual understanding of maths before applying their knowledge to everyday problems and challenges. We ensure that challenge is provided for all children, whatever their understanding. Children are encouraged to be brave and push the boundaries, deepening their understanding further.
The only way to learn Mathematics is by doing Mathematics
Implementation:
At Worthington Primary school, we recognise that children need to be confident and fluent across each yearly objective. To ensure consistent coverage, teachers follow the Whiterose Maths scheme of learning to support their planning. Teachers are also developing their understanding of mastery.
High quality resources are used in conjunction with Whiterose, such as NRich, NCETM to support, stretch and challenge all children within the classroom. In addition, the school’s calculation policy is used to ensure a coherent approach to teaching the operations across our school.
Our curriculum builds on the concrete, pictorial, abstract approach. By using all three, the children can explore and demonstrate their mathematical learning. Together, these elements help to cement knowledge so children truly understand what they have learnt.
All children when introduced to a new concept for the first time are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols. Throughout Worthington Primary School you will see these three methods being used:
Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.
Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using these pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.
Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid by using the concrete and pictorial methods the children can move onto an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
Vigorous monitoring means that children, who need extra support with their learning, receive high quality intervention time with a teacher or teaching assistant.
Impact:
Summative assessment takes place at the end of each unit and each term and children’s progress and attainment are discussed by teachers and the Head teacher at Progress review meeting. Formative assessment takes place on a daily basis and teachers adjust planning accordingly to meet the needs of their class. In addition, we place a strong emphasis on the power of questioning: this enables us both to explore topics together as a class as well as verbally develop reasoning skills during our lessons. Children are encouraged to take ownership of their learning through self- and peer- assessment and learning coach activities. The Maths coordinator monitors the effectiveness of teaching frequently through lesson observations, book scrunity and pupil interviews.
Maths lead: Mrs Natasha Clark