Maths
Mathematics
Our Values in Mathematics
Collaboration | Respect |
• Discussion promoted in all lessons • Working together - pairs, groups • Shared learning • Peer assessment • Peer tutoring • Extra-curricular clubs • McDonalds • Town Schools work, Trust • Governors | • Promote improvement and • Many different ways to think mathematically - a range of activities • Links to the wider community • Self and peer assessment • Pipping work • Metacognition
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Aspirations | Positivity |
• Vocabulary buster • Identify progress and celebrate achievements with children: Big Maths, activities in lessons, Times Table challenge, Maths Whizz, TT Rockstars, arithmetic tests, displays, NFER assessments • Events and clubs • High expectations • Maths in every day life • Inclusion and equality | • Identify progress and celebrate achievements with children: Big Maths, activities in lessons, Times Table challenge, Maths Whizz, TT Rockstars, arithmetic tests • Learning traits • Metacognition • Growth mindset • Promoted in all lessons - ' can do' attitude |
Intent - What do we want to deliver?
At Market Drayton Junior School, we take a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Essentially, our ethos is that all children can be successful in the study of mathematics. We do not accept that ‘some children cannot do maths’ or that children should be limited by prior attainment. Maths is for everyone! We teach the skills to ensure our children are resilient learners who become life-long mathematicians. To this end our intent is to aim to deliver an aspirational and engaging mathematics curriculum through high quality teaching which reacts to the needs of our society.
At Market Drayton Junior School, we recognise that mathematics, as a core subject touches every party of our daily lives and as such we give the teaching and learning of mathematics the prominence that it deserves.
The intention of our mathematical curriculum at Market Drayton Junior School is for our children to be excited about mathematics! Developing a positive attitude to this subject is essential. Teachers promote children’s enjoyment of mathematics and provide opportunities for them to build a conceptual understanding of mathematics before applying their knowledge to everyday problems and challenges. We ensure that challenge is provided for all children, whatever their ability and understanding. Children are encouraged to be brave and push the boundaries, deepening their understanding further.
Our belief is ‘The only way to learn Mathematics is by doing Mathematics!’
As a mathematician …..
Understanding - I can connect new mathematical thinking to what I already know and understand.
Tools - I have a toolkit that I can choose tools from to help me solve problems. Practising using these tools helps me become a better mathematician.
Problem solving - I can use my understanding, skills and reasoning to help me work towards solutions.
Reasoning - I can convince myself that my thinking is correct and I can explain my reasoning to others because Maths is logical.
Attitude/mindset - I can enjoy Maths and become better at it by persevering.
Implementation - How Do We Deliver the Mathematics Curriculum?
Our mathematical curriculum is based on the 2014 National Curriculum. To further support this the school has implemented the use of Big Maths throughout Key Stage 2. Big Maths is used by teachers on a daily basis to provide the children with the key concepts of number. This culminates in a weekly CLIC test.
We recognise that children need to be confident and fluent across each yearly objective. The domains of mathematics are planned by the individual year groups to ensure consistency of delivery and content to ensure their year group’s objectives are fulfilled as well as the needs of all children.
High quality resources are used in conjunction with Big Maths, NRICH and NCETM to support, stretch and challenge all children within the classroom. In addition, the school’s calculation policy is used to ensure a coherent approach to teaching the operations across our school.
Our curriculum builds on the concrete, pictorial, abstract approach. By using all three, the children can explore and demonstrate their mathematical learning. Together, these elements help to embed the knowledge they have acquired.
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 these pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.
Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid by using the concrete and pictorial methods the children can move onto an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
The teaching of the domains in mathematics is re-visited to ensure that topics are revised, prior knowledge and vocabulary, are built upon and the application of mathematical skills, such as observing, classifying, interpreting and problem solving etc. Written and verbal communication, recording and reasoning are enhanced, as the children progress.
Maths Curriculum Pathways and Progression Maps
Vocabulary in Mathematics
Special Education Needs in Maths
How do we ensure all children can access maths lessons?
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all children can access their learning and are enthusiastic to do so. We focus on a range of skills including number bonds, timetables, geometry, statistics and real-life mathematical problems incorporating the ‘Big Maths’ scheme to ensure a rounded and consistent learning experience across the school. Our lessons are differentiated so that all children have the same experiences but which are tailored to their individual needs. We focus on what children can achieve in lessons to build up confidence and a love of learning, whilst gaining an understanding of all things mathematical and making progress which is aligned to their abilities. This is achieved through additional interventions such as ‘pre-teaching’ and small group support within the classroom. For those children with complex additional needs, a suitably differentiated plan is developed with support, in some instances, of external agencies to ensure that we are providing them with the best opportunities to develop their skills and understanding of maths. All children are given the opportunity to partake in all daily lessons as well as having the opportunity to be involved in whole school assemblies and attendance at after school maths clubs when offered. As a school we adapt our environment to suit the needs of our children with resources such as coloured exercise books, adapted pens and pencils, vocabulary mats and practical resources.
As a school we strive to support fully the teaching of maths and to develop the children’s learning to allow each and every child to maximise their own individual potential.
Impact - How we help Children Get to a Deep Level Of Understanding?
At the start of every domain the children are asked to completed an entrance card for the new topic they are about to study. Once this card has been completed the teacher marks it and assigns a target for the individual child to work on during the ensuing weeks. Once the domain has been completed the children then complete an exit card. Once this card has been marked it enables the teacher to ascertain the level of progress made from their entrance card.
Each week children complete a weekly CLIC, SAFE and Learn Its as part of their Big Maths work. The scores are then recorded on grid which provides teachers with the evidence of where any gaps are in the children’s or class’ learning. As a result of this information, the teacher is able to apply their findings into their individual or year group planning as well as any interventions required. Once the children achieve a score of 9 or 10 for three consecutive weeks they progress up the levels. We have found that the children enjoy the competitive nature of these tests to challenge themselves to make progress. During Year 6 the children begin to move away from CLIC to focus on arithmetic papers in preparation for SATs as well as their move towards Key Stage Three.
At the end of each term, the children complete a written test such as NFER to establish the progress made during that term. Results of these tests are inputted into an assessment programme to again highlight areas of strength and weakness for each child.
To conclude, the impact and measures of the above are to ensure that the children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the mathematics curriculum, but also to embrace and nurture a love of mathematics which has been fostered within school, to encourage a strong sense of challenge and ambition within the children for today and as they continue through their academic journey and potential future job prospects.
Maths across the curriculum
At Market Drayton Junior School, we know the importance of children learning to be mathematicians across a wide range of contexts, so we are committed to giving the children opportunities to apply their maths skills across the whole curriculum.
Subject | How maths may be linked |
|---|---|
| English | Communication: There are many words that we learn in maths and we need to learn how to communicate our mathematical knowledge clearly. We often ask the question, ‘How do you know?’ in a maths lesson to make us think carefully about our learning. Children are always instructed to ‘prove it’, ‘convince me’ and explain their reasoning. Vocabulary: We focus heavily on maths vocabulary, so that the children are able to verbalise their ideas and use mathematical words accurately to help their learning. We start each new topic with a vocabulary buster, where the words we will need are learnt about. Writing: Throughout the school, the children are asked to communicate mathematical reasoning in writing. This helps us to show we have ‘mastered’ our learning and we are able to explain it to someone else. |
| Science | Investigations: We use our knowledge of different types of measures to help us carry out a science investigation and record the data we find out, using tables, charts and graphs. Sorting: We use what we learn to help us sort out and order our thoughts, such as classifying rocks. |
| History | Dates and timelines: We use our knowledge of place value to apply this to chronological order when putting things in place on a simple timeline. We make comparisons between different eras by using our statistics skills. |
| Geography | Statistics: When exploring the world around us it is important to be able to gather lots of information about what we see. We record this using a range of different tables and graphs that we have learnt in our maths lessons; we study lots of different ones and then also draw our own. Directions: Knowing how to talk about how to get to places and have a good understanding of routes is important learning in Geography. We apply the skills we have learnt in maths to help us. These skills also help us when looking at different places around the world and thinking about where they are in relation to one another. |
| Art | Shape in Art: We apply our knowledge of shape in many of our art topics across the school, thinking about how lines and shapes of different sorts can be used to create exciting, creative pieces. This includes sculpture and printing. |
Design Technology | Cookery: We have lots of opportunities to work on our measuring skills in cookery. As well as measuring ingredients and working out timings, we scale recipes up and down to make different amounts. Shapes: When creating our designs, in textiles or when using materials such as wood or plastic, we need to use our maths skills to make sure we are accurate and can make a good-quality product. We need to measure accurately to ensure our designs work. |
| PE | Counting: To ensure we have good mental health and wellbeing we take part in the daily mile. We love to challenge ourselves to run further and so we practise counting and recording how many laps we can complete. We also apply these skills when taking part in team games. Measures: In athletics lessons, we need our measuring skills to help us keep track of distances and then work out how to improve our performance. We also time ourselves and each other and try to beat personal bests! |
| Computing | Coding: This links to our Geography learning, and we enjoy using programming and different algorithms to make things happen. Statistics: Sometimes we use our ICT skills to create graphs of the data we have gathered to answer a question. |
| Music | Composing music: To be able to understand what a rhythm is, we have to be able to count the beats. Once we can do this accurately, we will then be able to use it to compose our own music, creating musical rhythms. |
Homework and Home Learning
As with reading regularly at home, we ask children to complete maths learning. Homework varies depending on the area of learning the children are covering.
Each week, children are given maths homework. This is handed out on a Monday and is expected back on a Thursday.
Children are expected to spend time learning and practising their times tables at home. In school, we have a times table challenge where children ask to be tested and work their way up through bronze, silver and gold levels. Once they have achieved their gold on each times table, they get a gold star pin badge to keep. Children are retested each year to keep the times tables fresh in their memories, so the aim is to achieve three or even four pin badges during the time they are at this school.
There is also the Year 4 times table test which all of the children will complete.
One app that the children can use to help them is Times Table Rockstars.
Maths Whizz is an app that children have a login for when they are in Key Stage Two. The activities on their account are based on their individual learning needs. They work to achieve progressions and each week there is a class award for the class who have collected the most progressions between them.
Big Maths tests happen each week for the children. When they have completed these, children bring their tests home so that parents and carers know areas that children struggled with and can further support their child on this.
There are a variety of apps and websites that school recommends for children to be using to practise their maths. There are links to these on the school website.