Maths Vision

At Blessed Dominic Catholic Primary School, our vision for mathematics is to teach a rich, memorable and progressive curriculum that is adapted to suit the needs of all pupils. We recognise that mathematics is essential to everyday life and endeavour to support children to relate the joy and wonder of mathematics to their own lives. We strive to ensure that children develop an enthusiastic and creative attitude towards mathematics that they will continue to develop throughout their education and future employment.

We want to enable pupils to see that Mathematics can be a way of viewing and making sense of the world around them. Children are encouraged to apply concrete, pictorial and abstract methods to enjoy investigating, solving and developing their own methods for calculation. Children develop their oracy by using mathematical language and pictorial representations confidently and creatively to explain their reasoning of mathematical concepts and to solve problems.

We believe that all children can master maths at their own level so that all children:

- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics;

- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations;

- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication.

National Curriculum: Mathematics Programme of Study

Characteristics of a Mathematician

At Blessed Dominic Catholic Primary School, we are Mathematicians. We have...

• an understanding of the important concepts and an ability to make connections within mathematics.
• a broad range of skills in using and applying mathematics.
• fluent knowledge and recall of number facts and the number system.
• the ability to show initiative in solving problems in a wide range of contexts, including the new or unusual.
• the ability to think independently and to persevere when faced with challenges, showing a confidence of success.
• the ability to embrace the value of learning from mistakes and false starts.
• the ability to reason, generalise and make sense of solutions.
• fluency in performing written and mental calculations and mathematical techniques.
• a wide range of mathematical vocabulary.
• a commitment to and passion for the subject.

What does our vision look like at Blessed Dominic Catholic Primary School?

To translate our vision of maths into practice, we implement a variety of published materials to facilitate the teaching of mathematics but recognise the need for the teaching of mathematics to be ‘scheme assisted and not scheme driven.’ From Early Years to Year 6, Blessed Dominic School uses the White Rose Education Maths scheme of learning to support planning. This scheme has been selected to support teachers in their planning to deliver a mastery approach to maths, alongside additional materials from the NCETM, NRICH and Ready-to-Progress Framework. Pupils at Blessed Dominic will be taught the Programme of Study through exciting lessons which engage and engross pupils so that they absorb the learning and retain it.

                              

NCETM: Five Big Ideas in Teaching For Mastery, 2017

                                           

EYFS

We relate the mathematical aspects of the children's work to the Development Matters statements, the Early Learning Goals (ELG), as set out in the EYFS profile document, and the Educational Programme for Mathematics. In EYFS, activities are planned to provide pupils with the opportunity to improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems, and describing shapes, spaces and measurements, primarily through play. In the Foundation Stage, mathematics lessons are generally topic-linked, although some mathematics may be taught discretely. These mathematics lessons are a mixture of adult-directed and child-initiated activities.

KS1

National Curriculum: Mathematics Programme of Study KS1

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in KS1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value.

Through working with numerals, words and the 4 operations, including with concrete resources.Pupils should develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Teaching should also involve using a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money. By the end of year 2, pupils should know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis on practice at this early stage will aid fluency. Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at KS1

LKS2

National Curriculum: Mathematics Programme of Study KS2

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in lower key stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the 4 operations, including number facts and the concept of place value.

- Develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers.

- Develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value.

- Pupils should be taught to draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them.

- Pupils should make connections between measure and number.

- By the end of year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table.

- Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently.

UKS2

National Curriculum: Mathematics Programme of Study KS2

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in UKS2 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers.

- Pupils should make connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio.

- Pupils should develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation.

- Pupils are introduced to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems.

- Teaching in geometry and measures should consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number.

- Pupils classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.

- By the end of year 6, pupils should be fluent in written methods for all 4 operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

- Pupils should read, spell and pronounce mathematical vocabulary correctly.

Memorable Experiences and Whole School Events

Pupils are taught the Programme of Study through exciting lessons which engage and engross pupils so that they absorb the learning and retain it. Memorable experiences inspire pupils but retain the focus of the lesson so that the lesson objective is remembered as part of that experience. Trips and visitors to the school provide pupils with memorable experiences that enhance their learning.

Whole school events, such as Maths Week England and NSPCC Number Day, encourage children to apply their skills and learning in a variety of ways. They allow children to showcase their work, as well as, showing the progression of skills throughout the school. Children have opportunities to learn about Maths outside of the ‘Maths lesson’ to learn about inspiration people and make links with the other subjects taught in school, for example: pattern in Art, data handling in Science and directions in Geography.

CPA Approach Concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA)

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 pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.

Abstract – With the foundations firmly laid, children can move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

The mastery approach incorporates all of these for children to explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen their understanding. All pupils, when introduced to a key new concept, should have the opportunity to build competency in this topic by taking this approach. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols.

Disciplinary Skills Based Learning and Assessment

Our implementation is developed through secure understanding of the curriculum and subject area. Pupils can demonstrate the disciplinary skills set out in the National Curriculum and can effectively implement skills appropriate to their year group. Assessments will take the form of teacher assessment throughout lessons/blocks, beginning and end of block assessments, termly assessments, mental maths tests and use of objective trackers in books.

Adaptations to Support and Challenge

The majority of pupils progress through the curriculum content at the same pace. Through taking a mastery approach, adaptation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention provided to children. Class teachers adapt tasks according to the child’s individual needs, which takes place through questioning, how the learning is scaffolded and planned resources.

We aim to stretch and challenge children who show higher attainment through their challenges. Higher attainers should not be accelerated through age group expectations, but should be challenged to stretch and extend their learning through mastery tasks, questioning and investigations.

Impact – What is the impact of our vision for maths on our pupils?

The children at Blessed Dominic are confident and enthusiastic to undertake new learning in maths. Through questionnaires and pupil conferencing, children express their own understanding and enjoyment of maths. The pupils are able to explain the purpose of maths and can make links between prior learning and future application. They can articulate how maths is relevant in cross curricular subjects and can make links to the application of maths in real life. We aim to reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards, which is evident through the progress the children make in their learning journey. The children at Blessed Dominic have access to a high quality maths curriculum that is challenging and rewarding which provides a variety of mathematical opportunities for greater depth in learning.

Evidence in Disciplinary Skills and Substantive Knowledge

A mathematical concept/skill has been mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independent apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations.

Pupils will end units being able to apply and demonstrate they can effectively use mathematical skills.  Children learn deeply about maths and can transfer and apply their learning in different contexts. Children are able to make connections in maths lessons which they are able to apply to their cross-curricular learning. Children are able to demonstrate Blessed Dominic school’s learning behaviours in their learning. They will progress throughout the year groups building upon these skills and reflect the planned outcomes. Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. Children have a secure understanding of the four operations and written methods.

The impact of our vision for maths on our the pupils is monitored and measured through:

• Lesson observations and learning walks
• Feedback and discussions with teachers
• Pupil voice conversations
• Book looks
• Data analysis (Insight)
• Pupil progress meetings
• Teacher assessment and formal assessments (SATs and Multiplication Tables Check)