Maths

 Mathematics In the Primary School

 

Children from The LaunchPad to Year 6 follow The White Rose programme. This is complemented with other resources such as Busy Ants and Primary Stars.

 

All of our resources follow an exciting growth mind set and problem-solving approach. All children are encouraged to believe in their ability to master maths and are empowered to succeed through curiosity and persistence, while tackling the same concepts at the same time and progressing together as a whole class. The 'small step approach' allows children to keep up, not catch up. 


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Every day we start our Maths lessons with retrieving previous knowledge and skills. This is a series of quick questions covering something from the previous lesson, last week and then topics from earlier in the year – maybe even last year! This encourages children to constantly refer back to their previously learnt knowledge and skills, ensuring multiple opportunities to look at topics again in new contexts. This enables teachers to support students who have struggled with a topic to spend more time reconsidering and developing their understanding, as well as identifying any 'problem' areas.

Each class may use manipulatives to start their focus unit. The use of manipulatives allows children to have a tangible link to their learning.

 

The use of pictorial representations enables children to understand how the focus maths skills can be represented in a number of different ways - mastering the small steps to learning and ensuring the learning is not just 'discrete'. 

 

From this process, children are then able to approach maths in a more abstract problem but, by using their previous knowledge and skills, can apply the small steps to understanding and solving the problem. 

                                      

 

The LaunchPad

The White Rose programme is incorporated into the continuous provision and teacher led learning in our early years. Activities are carefully linked to the Early Learning Goals (ELG’s) helping the teacher assess the children’s level of understanding in the area of maths development.

Mathematics is one of the specific areas of learning in The LaunchPad. We recognise that maths is an integral part of day to day life and we instil mathematical concepts not only in our direct teaching and opportunities in child initiated play but we also thread mathematics through our daily classroom routines. We want our children to not only develop a love of maths but also have the opportunity to learn practical skills through real life application.

 

Each day we count at every possible opportunity. We count how many children are present, when lining up and recording the date. We look at concepts of sharing, more/ less, size and measurement at every available opportunity and carefully promote that all adults reinforce and strengthen children’s knowledge.

 

Children will take part in adult directed and child initiated mathematics. It is important they are given the opportunity to learn maths through practical, active, hands-on experiences. We implement this approach into our focused lessons and our continuous provision areas. After learning new concepts, children are given opportunities inside and outside the classroom to apply their understanding through challenges and enhancements to best support our children to internalise and master their learning.

 

KS1 and KS2

Each lesson begins with an activity designed to support fluency in all key number facts.

Concrete resources are available at all times to further their understanding and consolidate learning. STEM sentences are used alongside age appropriate vocabulary to engage learners further in developing their understanding.

Examples of these are;


Children are given a variety of reasoning and problem solving questions to which they need to apply their understanding. These will take different periods of time to complete, and in some cases could be the focus for an entire lesson as children investigate a range of solutions. It is here that the language and vocabulary developed previously helps each child to discuss, explain and understand their reasoning.

Each lesson has the opportunity for diving deeper in understanding and completing a challenge. This means children have acquired a solid understanding of the maths that has been taught and can access more advanced material and are able to explain to others what they have been doing. They could also be encouraged to come up with their own problem based on the unit and explain how to solve it with the correct answer.

Each session is designed to develop questions designed to unpick the structure of the maths and deepen the children’s understanding. When children talk about maths concepts, they develop the vital mathematical language that helps them explain their ideas.

 

Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations. Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recollection of the times table.

Pupils use acquired vocabulary in maths lessons, seeing a progression of this throughout the school. They have the skills to use methods independently and show resilience when tackling problems. Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work. Teachers plan a range of opportunities to use maths inside and outside school in order to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections.