Maths

Maths is a key life skill. It is essential that we provide pupils with strong foundations so that they can progress in their understanding, learning to reason and make connections and enabling them to  become confident mathematicians.

Our Maths curriculum uses the Teaching for Mastery approach, which is underpinned by key principles:

• We believe that everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics.
• We teach and encourage mathematical learning behaviours so that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.
• Teachers and teaching assistants continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.
• Our curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.

The curriculum is based on the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics) materials, which break learning into carefully-sequenced small steps. Mathematical representations, including written calculations and stem sentences, are modelled and practiced in every classroom to expose the structure of the mathematics. The curriculum map can be found here: https://www.ncetm.org.uk/classroom-resources/cp-curriculum-prioritisation-in-primary-maths/ As we move to some mixed-age classes, we are transitioning to the NCETM Mixed-Age Planning, which ensures coverage of topics including “anchor” units which are revisited each year.

In Early Years, we follow the NCETM Mastering Number materials, ensuring that the key concepts taught are also skilfully incorporated into continuous provision and adult led tasks. Additional resources from the NCETM support the teaching of Pattern, Shape & Space and Measures.

As well as daily Maths lessons, pupils in KS1 and 2 participate in daily fluency sessions using NCETM Mastering Number. In Years 1-3, this is focused on securing additive relationships and automaticity in recall of addition/subtraction facts. In Years 4-6, Mastering Number develops multiplicative relationships, including learning times tables and division facts. These sessions complement Maths lessons and many of the representations are used across both.

Developing automaticity in recall of key number facts is supported through the use of online platforms: Numbots and Times Table Rock Stars.

Our Foundational Skills Overview identifies the key number skills which are the building blocks of mathematics – skills children need at their fingertips to be successful in the future. Pupils who have not achieved these milestones are identified and supported to reach these goals within the classroom and in targeted 1:1 or small group support.

As a school, we use our Wider-World Maths curriculum map to develop a stronger understanding of Mathematics throughout history and across cultures.