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Mathematics

Our Mathematics Subject Leader is Miss Charlotte Webb

Intent

At Crawley Ridge Junior School our intent for mathematics is to teach a rich, balanced and progressive curriculum which will enable pupils to use maths to reason, problem solve and develop fluent conceptual understanding in each area. Lessons are child focused and maths is kept fun and current throughout the school.  We aim to promote a positive and confident attitude towards maths, ensure that the children see the relevance of maths in the wider world. Our curriculum (which follows the White Rose units) allows our children to make sense of the world around them; emphasising the connection between mathematics and everyday life.

Implementation

A ‘mastery’ approach has been adapted and implemented at Crawley Ridge Junior School for the planning, delivery and engagement with mathematics. The implementation of teaching Mastery in the classroom continues to support the children’s mathematical fluency and builds on their understanding through a Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) approach.

We therefore use the White Rose Maths Scheme of Work to timetable mathematical units that are explored progressively; drawing on resources, data and suggestions from reliable sources such as NCETM and ‘NRICH’ to link mathematical talk and knowledge across the coverage of the curriculum.  

When planning, teachers are expected to take the following mastery strategies into account and display these within their own lessons:

  • Small steps
  • Ping pong style of delivery
  • Implementing the Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) approach to introducing, exploring and applying mathematical concepts
  • Applying/using the Bar Model approach as a strategy to approach calculation/problems
  • Considering key questions and mathematical vocabulary at the point of unit planning
  • Multiple opportunities for verbal and written/drawn reasoning (explaining and using mathematical vocabulary to explain methods or reasoning) within the unit
  • Inclusion of relevant problem-solving opportunities, where children are expected to draw on and apply multiple concepts to address or approach a challenge
  • Modelling of all skills and approaches
  • Modelling and sharing of efficient and accurate application of methods
  • Opportunities to explore maths concepts/objectives at ‘greater depth’
  • Inclusion of all learners, providing relevant support for those with additional needs (educational, medical or otherwise)

Retrieval practice

Retrieval is a strategy, referenced in our Teaching and Learning Policy, which gives pupils different activities and opportunities for retrieving prior learning from their long-term memory. This works well alongside the blocked approach of White Rose, to ensure that children, who become confident during the block of work, have opportunities to consolidate in skills learnt during the maths lessons. Teachers may use various forms of retrieval practice such as low-stake quizzes or ‘Fluent in Five’, to ensure children have the opportunity to work their long-term memory.

Arithmetic/Key skills

As a school, we believe a successful mathematician has a core understanding of the key concepts taught. Research, carried out by the government, suggests that children need core skills embedded before they are able to apply and be successful with reasoning and problem-solving style questions. With this in mind, we teach two lessons a week focussed on the key concepts in maths (four operations, fluency in number)

Knowledge of times tables underpins many concepts within maths and, with quick recall of these facts, it can support learning. In years 3 and 4, times tables will be taught following an overview focussing on certain times tables each half term. In years 5 and 6, if children have shown a weakness in their times tables knowledge, appropriate interventions will be put in place.

Links between maths and other subjects

Maths is widely transferable and applied in many subjects. As a school, we believe that making links in various subjects, will allow children to develop understanding of how maths can be applied in the wider world. Maths objectives can be achieved in many subjects for example, in Science, the link of statistics and graph work is encouraged. Forest school experiments with ways in which maths can be applied in the outdoor setting and allow children to use their mathematical skills outside of the classroom.

Resources

Resources play a vital role in ensuring the mastery curriculum is delivered successfully. With support of the White Rose curriculum, teachers are encouraged to use resources in supporting the early understanding of concepts. This is further supported by the approach of CPA. Dienes and place value counters are the primary resource which supports the teaching of the math curriculum. Although all year groups (3-6) are encouraged to use resources to support learning, the aim is that by the end of year 6, children to be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

Pupils with special educational needs and individual learning plans

Teachers will aim to include all pupils fully in their daily mathematics lessons. All children benefit from the emphasis on oral work and participating in watching and listening to other children demonstrating and explaining their learning. However, a pupil whose difficulties are severe or complex may need to be supported with an individualised programme in the main part of the lesson. The class teacher will follow the individual learning plan for each child personalising the learning to meet their specific needs.

Impact

The exploration of mathematics should be interactive and engaging, with content made relevant to children’s real-world experiences and contextualised to support consolidation and retention of knowledge and skill.

Children should approach mathematical study with confidence, flexibility and enthusiasm, and draw on knowledge and skills from across the subject to solve problems with increasing self-assurance and a willingness to tackle the problem.

A child’s approach and response to reasoning activities should improve term on term, with the expectation that by the end of the year, children are happy to accurately define and use mathematical vocabulary introduced by their teacher, as well as complete stem sentences to complete mathematical statements or reasoning.

Assessment

Units of work will be assessed upon their completion (end of unit tests), with teachers asked to use those published by WRM in the first instance, and to look to other sources (or create their own) if the pitch is too high/low. Assessments will take place at the end of each term (Autumn, Spring and Summer) using the Rising Stars NTS assessments. In Year 6, past SATs papers are used to for assessment purposes.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

At Crawley Ridge we recognise that AfL lies at the heart of promoting learning and in raising standards of attainment. We further recognise that effective AfL can really support the children and ensure that they make the progress they deserve.

In the school we use a various range of AfL strategies:

  • Verbal and self-marking within the lesson. Children can mark working within the lesson, highlighting whether they understand the lesson objectives. This will highlight to the teacher that they need further support.
  • Adjusting planning and teaching within units in response to pupils’ performance.
  • Same day or pre-teach interventions based upon what they have recorded from the lesson.
  • Undertaking medium-term assessments to measure progress against the key objectives, and to help us plan the next unit of work.