Maths Curriculum Statement

Intent

At Horsmonden, we believe that every child can succeed in Mathematics to become a confident and competent Mathematician equipped with the skills of logical reasoning, problem solving and the ability to think in an abstract way which are important in everyday life. We teach Mathematics using the White Rose Maths scheme (WRM), based on a mastery approach to learning encompassing the National Curriculum (2014) year group expectations. 

This approach to learning Mathematics is based on problems created to fit the English National Curriculum for Mathematics. At the heart of the White Rose Maths scheme is the development of the key concepts of fluency, relational understanding and problem solving. 

The White Rose Maths scheme enables children to explore key Mathematical concepts and procedures in detail by presenting them in a variety of ways, using Bruner’s concrete, pictorial and abstract theory (CPA) as well as building understanding in small steps. Time is spent reinforcing past learning regularly to ensure that children continue to develop previously taught skills through early morning work and revisiting lessons. 

This approach ensures that children make genuine progress and avoid gaps in their understanding that can become barriers to learning in the future. Each year group’s learning is designed with a spiral approach in mind, building on the previous year’s learning. 

Within the White Rose Maths scheme, the use of precise, technical Mathematical language is consistent across all year groups. This enables children to develop the appropriate vocabulary to enable them to discuss, reason and explain their Mathematical understanding more clearly and precisely.

Implementation

Engaging children in exciting lessons. 

Using talk to promote discussion, evaluation and enquiry. Also giving children opportunities to ask their own questions. 

White Rose Maths lessons are typically broken into 5 parts: 

1. A daily 5-10 minute or weekly 20-30 minute Fluency session helps children to identify key relational understanding of number facts, rather than simply relying on rote learning. In all classes, the Fluency session will be focused around number facts and times tables. 

2. A review of previous learning, which can be from previous days’ learning or from any previous lesson. 

3. New Learning – the teacher introduces and explains new learning for the lesson. 

4. Guided Practice – children practise new learning in groups, pairs or individually (as appropriate) guided by the teacher. 

5. Independent Practice – children practise new learning individually. The new learning is presented in a variety of different ways to enable the children to think and apply their learning more flexibly. 

The majority of children progress through the curriculum content at the same pace. Appropriate adaptation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through targeted support and intervention. The questioning and scaffolding that individual children receive in class will differ. Children who grasp concepts more rapidly are challenged through more demanding problems, which deepen their knowledge further. 

This approach ensures that procedural and conceptual understanding are developed simultaneously. For most lessons, children are seated in groups to enable some element of collaborative learning as we believe children attain more highly when working with their peers. 

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Mathematics is developed through purposeful play-based experiences which are represented in a variety of ways in both the indoor and outdoor environments. The long term plan focuses on the expectations from White Rose and the Early Years Outcomes. Children are encouraged to record their mathematical thinking and the expectation of formal recording increases during the year.

Impact

To assess the impact of teaching in Mathematics at Horsmonden for Years 1 – 6 inclusive we use the Bromcom assessment system, recording outcomes against age related expectations for each Mathematical strand, based on the National Curriculum (2014). 

EYFS children are assessed during Term 1, providing a baseline assessment and termly thereafter against Development Matters (as guidance), White Rose and the Early Years Outcomes. Data from high quality termly summative assessments is collated into the Bromcom system for each year group, to give a snapshot of where each child’s learning is compared to the year group expectations. 

Gaps in learning are immediately identified and this forms the starting point to plan appropriate strategies to close those gaps through intervention programmes and fluency sessions. The outcomes from these assessments are reviewed by the class teacher and Senior Leadership Team and any anomalies are discussed at the termly Pupil Progress Meetings. This ensures that any children not meeting year group expectations are identified and supported to enable them to develop the skills and understanding necessary to progress their learning. 

Teachers and parents/carers are able to share information about the child’s progress on a termly basis through Parent Consultation meetings in Terms 2 and 4 and the formal written end of year report in Term 6.

Resources

Resources to be kept in a classroom cupboard and returned there when not in use.

Resource cupboards to be kept tidy so that resources are accessible.

Teachers inform the maths leader if there are any specific resources that are needed and that cannot be found in the school.

Maths leader to keep up to date with new curriculum developments and relay them to staff when needed.