Maths

Intent

At Burston & Tivetshall Primary Schools, pupils of all ages will acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject of maths.

Children in Reception will learn the learn the foundational knowledge - with a heavy emphasis on cardinality and counting, comparison and composition - that they will lean on heavily for future learning in KS1, KS2 and beyond.

During their time at our schools, children will become fluent in the fundamentals, will reason mathematically and solve problems by applying their learning to varied situations with confidence.  Children will be confident in the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and their application to abstract concepts (CPA)

Implementation

At our schools, teachers planning focuses on securing students’ deep conceptual understanding in key topics which prepare the way for future learning. These are outlined in the DFE's Mathematics guidance: key stages 1 and 2 June 2020 which identifies the most important conceptual knowledge and understanding that pupils need as they progress from year 1 to year 6.

To do this, teachers in both EYFS, KS1 and KS2 use White Rose Curriculum Maps. In Reception, teachers plan daily inputs focused on the EYFS framework supported by White Rose Maths Curriculum maps and schemes of work.  In all key stages, schemes of work start with blocks on Place Value, followed by the essential calculation skills children need to succeed in maths. This firm grounding in number gives children confidence and helps them to access the rest of the maths curriculum.

Year group schemes of learning cover the expected content for each year group in the National Curriculum as well as supporting the development of reasoning and problem solving and fluency.

In addition, teachers support the Mastery approach to teaching with a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach to support children to understand the maths they are learning, and to be able to use it elsewhere.  Planning breaks the curriculum objectives into accessible parts that build on each other so the learning journey is complete. 

What does mastery look like at Burston and Tivetshall Primary Schools?

Our definition of deep understanding is that a pupil really understands a mathematical concept, idea or technique if he or she can:

• Describe it in their own words;

• Represent it in a variety of ways (e.g. using concrete materials, pictures and symbols)

• Explain it to someone else;

• Make up their own examples (and non-examples) of it;

• See connections between it and other facts or ideas;

• Recognise it in new situations and contexts;

• Make use of it in various ways, including in new situations

At our schools:

• Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching.  This ensures that all can master concepts before moving to the next part of the curriculum sequence, allowing no pupil to be left behind.
• If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and early in class support ensures the pupil is ready to move forward with the whole class during the lesson and in follow up lessons.
• Lesson design identifies the new mathematics that is to be taught, the key points, the difficult points and a carefully sequenced journey through the learning.
• In KS1 and KS2 every maths lessons starts with a counting input.
• In a typical lesson pupils sit facing the teacher and the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration, and discussion.
• Teachers plan to include a discrete focus on fluency, reasoning and problem solving
• Key Number Facts are learnt with support of the mastering number programme to ensure automaticity to avoid cognitive overload in the working memory and enable pupils to focus on new concepts
• Teachers adopt a concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach to working
• Teachers positively use mistakes / misconceptions, in discussions and in the learning environment
• Teachers participate in regular book scrutinies, learning walks, planning audits and pupil perception sessions.
• Teachers engage in whole-school professional development.
• The school raises the profile of mathematics – Maths Café and whole-school challenges to motivate children and celebrate their learning.
• Were appropriate, teachers incorporate social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) elements in our teaching.

Impact

Formative Assessment: Teachers integrate the use of formative assessment strategies such as effective questioning, clear learning objectives, the use of success criteria and effective feedback and response in their teaching.

Summative Assessment:

In EYFS children are assessed against the EYFS curriclum at the end of the academic year.  Teachers carry out observations of pupils throughout the year, which demonstrate children's knowledge and understanding of maths within their learning environment.  Observations are recorded on Tapestry along with teacher assessments which provide ‘point in time assessments’ which are recorded on the school’s tracking system. 

Termly summative assessments are carried out and then analysed using Question Level Analysis and used to inform practice and planning moving forward.

 

Moderation: Staff take part in Trust wide termly moderation to ensure that teacher judgements are scrutinised and accurate.