| Philosophy |
| In Thornhill Primary, we strive to develop a culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths across the whole of our school – a culture that produces strong, secure mathematics within each year group. By building confidence, resilience and a passion for maths, we show all children that maths is an exciting adventure that everyone can enjoy, value and master! |
| Intent: What we are trying to achieve through our curriculum… |
| Our aim is to deliver an ambitious, connected curriculum accessible to all pupils in school from EYFS to Year 6. The intent of our curriculum is for children to be confident and capable mathematicians who enjoy the subject and have the necessary skills and positive mind-set to tackle new concepts and challenges.
At Thornhill Primary, we recognise the importance of ensuring that the fundamental skills of fluency, reasoning and problem solving are fully embedded within the everyday teaching of maths lessons and are consistently developed over time. We strongly believe that children must secure the fundamentals in order for them to explore concepts and secure a deeper understanding. Consequently, number is very much at the heart of our teaching/learning and we ensure that a significant proportion of time is spent reinforcing number to build competency and fluency. We follow the National Curriculum for Mathematics and Early Years Statutory Framework which aims to ensure that all children:
We teach maths progressively through the sharing of key knowledge and skills, alongside visual representations of mathematical concepts and ideas. We recognise the importance of children also developing an enjoyment of mathematics and experiencing success in the subject- developing their ability to reason and solve problems with increasing confidence. Furthermore, we want children to recognise the importance of maths in the wider world, using their mathematical understanding to make rich connections in their own lives and through a range of different contexts. We aim to develop children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics in the modern and natural world in which we live. |
| Implementation: How our curriculum is delivered… |
| In order to ensure coverage, progression and engagement within our curriculum, we use the White Rose scheme. This is very much a progressive system, thereby allowing the children to develop an ability to use their knowledge of mathematical concepts and ideas to a greater depth of understanding and complexity throughout school. Furthermore, the scheme has full coverage of National Curriculum objectives, which are met through varied fluency, reasoning and problem-solving approaches.
As mathematics is both a creative and interconnected subject, we use an interchangeable CPA approach. 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. Our teaching and learning incorporates the use of a range of practical equipment, thereby allowing us to present maths in many different forms and contexts, which can suit the needs of children with varied learning styles. With a continuous focus on revisit and review, teaching aims to reinforce and consolidate daily work, through the repetition of activities which address ‘non-negotiable’ basic skills. All of which are fundamental in the development of a confident mathematician. Alongside this scheme, we use a range of purposeful assessment systems to ensure coverage, challenge and understanding of key concepts. Within lessons, through questioning, discussions and tasks, teachers are continuously monitoring pupils’ progress against expected attainment for their age- making formative assessments and adjusting their teaching accordingly. Summative assessments are completed on entry into each new year group and at the end of each term. Analysis of the data is completed which ensures efficient tracking and allows decisions to be made regarding interventions. To support and develop our teaching of maths, we use a wider range of resources alongside the White Rose materials to keep teaching and learning dynamic, varied and engaging. These also include online maths tools such as Mathletics, Education City and Times Tables Rockstars, which are utilised both in and out of school time to reinforce the fundamentals of the subject. In addition to this, each class also has an extra fifteen minutes allocated each day to developing mental maths across school. Ultimately, as a school and as a staff, we are continuously striving to better ourselves by looking for CPD (continuing professional development) opportunities. We ensure that all staff are trained in and share these key principles that run throughout the subject, across all year groups. |
| Impact: The difference our curriculum is making… |
The impact of our maths curriculum is that it ensures children have the time and opportunity to explore, develop and demonstrate mathematical ideas, while enriching their learning experience and deepening understanding. Our focus for teaching maths this way is that by the end of KS2 pupils are able to:
We believe that a mathematical concept or skill has only been mastered once a child can show it in multiple ways, using the necessary mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations. Together, these elements help cement knowledge so pupils truly understand what they have learnt. The impact is evidenced throughout discussions, outcomes of tasks and through our formative and summative assessment systems. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their maths lessons and are able to use acquired vocabulary. They have the skills to use methods independently and show resilience when tackling problems. The children show a high level of pride in the presentation of their work within their books. Maths Progression of Knowledge and Skills including EYFS
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