Maths

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected 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 

At St. Paul’s, we intend on delivering a mathematics curriculum which:

• Allows pupils to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through creative and engaging lessons that provide them with a range of opportunities to explore mathematics.
• Develops conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge fluently and rapidly.
• Enables pupils to develop increased confidence to reason and problem solve to find solutions to a range of real-life mathematical problems by cooperating and listening to each other. 
• Ensures children believe in themselves as mathematicians by developing resilience, perseverance and an eagerness to learn in all our pupils.
• Encourages pupils to see how mathematics is relevant to their place in the local and global community and applicable to everyday life, as well as being something that they will need as they move on through their school life and ultimately to the world of employment.
• Builds upon pupils’ knowledge and understanding from Year 3 to Year 6, and is line with the National Curriculum.

To that end, a high-quality, creative and progressive maths experience should be one that develops every child’s ability to think mathematically and reason, applying the tools to which they have been exposed in a variety of meaningful ways.

Implementation

• In school, we follow the National Curriculum Programmes of Study in Mathematics supported by the White Rose Schemes of Work. This has recently been supplemented by the Covid Recovery Prioritisation Framework produced by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Both of these are used as a guide to support teachers with their planning. Following the NCETM framework has enabled us to give priority to those areas covered by the ready-to-progress criteria from the DfE guidance; allowing for in-depth teaching at a more appropriate point.
• Our Calculation Policy is used in school to ensure a consistent and progressive Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach to teaching the four operations over time.
• Concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations are used to support and develop conceptual understanding and to make links across topics.
• Daily maths lessons include fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
• Key vocabulary is introduced, displayed on the Working Wall and revisited regularly to develop language acquisition.
• New concepts and strategies are modelled by the class teacher and then displayed on the Working Wall to enable pupils to build on their previous learning.
• Pupils who have shown understanding at a deep level are given challenges with deeper knowledge questions or activities to develop their skills further.
• Pupils with additional needs are included in all whole class lessons and are provided with scaffolding and relevant support where necessary in order for them to access the key concept being taught.
• Where possible, targeted pupils attend weekly Pre-teach sessions, interventions and follow up sessions to help secure their understanding.
• Feedback is given in line with our feedback policy.
• Pupils have access to Times Tables Rock Stars and My Maths in and out of school to practise core skills.