At Northgate Primary School, Mathematics is an integral part of each day. We want all children to enjoy maths, and develop a secure and deep understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts and procedures. We want our pupils to leave our school as confident mathematicians; having developed enthusiasm and curiosity for maths, which will empower them for the future.
Our Children will develop:
- a sense of belonging and being by recognising rich connections between mathematics and real-life situations in order to make sense of, and make changes to, the world around them.
- confidence in communicating through our emphasis on promoting questioning and critical-thinking skills in order to discuss and explain their mathematical thinking.
- a resilient attitude by developing a ‘can-do’ mindset, recognising that mistakes and misconceptions are an essential part of learning, and having the confidence to explore methods which support their learning style.
Intent
At Northgate Primary School, our intent is to develop a positive culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths, which produces strong, secure learning. As a school, we recognise that the key to unlocking the potential in our children is through the development of basic mathematical skills and the understanding of mathematical concepts. We believe that mathematical fluency is an essential life skill for all learners and is a prerequisite for being able to reason and solve problems mathematically. We therefore place great emphasis on the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and cross-curricular learning in all ages, enabling children to fully understand (mastery) concepts and principles when presented with abstract questions (CPA).
In line with the National Curriculum (2014), our intent focuses on all pupils following a mastery approach and being able to:
- Use and understand a wide range of appropriate mathematical language to discuss, explain and justify their mathematical thinking and reasoning
- Explore and deepen their mathematical understanding through a C-P-A approach, allowing exploration, acquisition of fluency skills and application of skills to a range of problems and lines of enquiry.
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- Consolidate learning and concepts through repetition and intervention to acquire sound foundations for fluency of mathematics.
- Make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
- Move fluently between different representations and structures of mathematical ideas.
- Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
- Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of smaller steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
- Apply mathematical knowledge across the curriculum, especially in science and other subjects areas, relating mathematical knowledge and skills to real life situations.
- Access challenges of rich and sophisticated problems when they grasp fluency concepts rapidly rather than progressing to new content.
- Have an appreciation of number and number operations, which enables mental calculations and written procedures to be performed efficiently, fluently and accurately to be successful in mathematics.
We believe all children can achieve in mathematics, and teach for secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through manageable steps. We aim for children to become true masters of content, applying and being creative with new knowledge in multiple ways. We provide opportunities for our children to challenge themselves, develop communication skills, independence and co-operation when solving problems, in order to take responsibility for their own learning. In teaching this way, we aim to promote confidence, resilience and competence with numbers and the number system through children working hard and aspiring to achieve.
Implementation
Our Maths curriculum provides breadth and balance, is relevant and engaging and is scaffolded to match the needs and abilities of all our children to ensure that all pupils are able to excel. As a school, we believe in the importance of following a mastery approach as a means to developing a solid understanding of concepts which can be applied in a variety of contexts through reasoning and problem solving challenges. Children are taught maths daily, with additional fluency sessions devoted to number proficiency and times tables (see below).
From Reception to Year 6, we adhere to our calculation policy, which outlines the progression of strategies and methods to be taught and accompanying vocabulary on the progression document which outlines the key vocabulary taught across the school.
Fluency Sessions
In addition to five stand-alone maths lessons, all children will have at least three additional maths sessions per week with a focus on developing fluency.
In Reception and Key Stage One, the fluency sessions should focus on developing secure foundations in the development of good number sense for all children. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation, as well as confidence and flexibility with number.
In Key Stage Two, fluency sessions should allow children to retrieve previously taught knowledge in order to rehearse concepts. The sessions should provide an opportunity to ‘interrupt forgetting’ a concept which has already been taught.
Impact
At Northgate, the children have a positive view of mathematics. They understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning, recognising that it is a vital life skill. Maths is linked to real world concepts, and following a mastery approach means that the children understand the maths, rather than just doing it. Their positive learning environment encourages a ‘can-do’ attitude. They feel comfortable to ask questions, choose the equipment they need, and use strategies that are most efficient. Mastery is also evident through the range and depth of vocabulary used in explanation and discussion. Our children can reason, make connections and problem solve, seeing errors in their work as ‘steps in learning’. Teachers use formative and summative assessment effectively to elevate progress and pinpoint strengths. More importantly, they are able to identify misconceptions and areas for development. Our books evidence a variety of work that includes fluency, reasoning and problem-solving.