Introduction
The National Curriculum sums up the subject of maths perfectly. It states that Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Intent
In the Dales Partnership, our intent is to enable our children to be part of a creative and engaging maths curriculum that will give them a range of opportunities to explore mathematics. We want to give every child a chance to believe in themselves as mathematicians, developing a positive attitude when faced with mathematical challenges.
We recognise that mathematics is a fundamental skill which underpins much of our daily lives and therefore want to equip our children with the life skills they need to flourish in the real world and to promote a life-long love of maths.
We aim to help children have a ‘can-do’ attitude in maths, developing fluency, reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems, using concrete equipment where necessary and helping children to visualise problems in a variety of ways.
Resilience and perseverance are key to our maths curriculum and are life-long skills that can be applied to every subject and career path our children choose in the future.
Implementation
Across Butterknowle Primary School, Frosterley Primary School and Woodland Primary School, we follow the national curriculum and use a mixed age long-term plan tailored to our schools. We use White Rose Maths (WRM) Schemes of Work as a guide to support teachers with their planning. The WRM planning is a national project designed to provide schools with the most up to date processes and procedures in Mathematics teaching and learning.
Our approach to the curriculum is designed to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts from the Early Years through to the end of Y6 using a variety of concrete resources, visualisation and modelling techniques and engaging real life problems.
Teaching sequences are based on small steps to ensure a good level of coherence and understanding. Children practice the mathematical skill and then apply their understanding, transferring their skills to a range of mathematic problems and contexts. Reasoning and problem solving are integral to the activities children are given to develop their mathematical thinking.
Resources are readily available to assist demonstration of securing a conceptual understanding of the different skills appropriate for each year group and children are encouraged to explore, apply and evaluate their mathematical approach during investigations to develop a deeper understanding when solving different problems / puzzles.
Children work in small groups with adults providing immediate feedback and support, discussions after every lesson identify children who need more support to achieve the intended outcome and those who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through additional activities. Children working outside of age-related expectations are included in whole class lessons with adult support, they have individual learning activities related to the teaching input to ensure their progress.
Teachers have secure knowledge of mathematical concepts and have access to ongoing CPD to maintain a solid understanding of current pedagogical knowledge and use a range of teaching styles to match individual children’s needs. Using a range of resources, including technology and online learning as well as effective assessment and monitoring of progress, teachers extend children’s learning both in individual lessons and over time.
A range of assessments are carried out at the end of each unit of work and monitored against age related expectations. Pupil progress charts, regular discussion and assessment analysis enable early identification and intervention for any child who is making unexpected levels of progress. Learning walks and book scrutinies are carried out by Maths subject leader across all three schools.
Impact
In class, our children are enthused, engaged and on task. They happily work independently or as a team, supporting their peers and explaining understanding to one another. Children in the Dales Partnership will leave school with a positive growth mind-set in maths, enjoying the challenge of maths puzzles and confident to apply maths in their everyday lives.