Maths

Intent 

We want all children to feel confident and capable in Maths and be aware that people aren’t classified as a ‘maths person’, this is merely an attitude of mind. 

Our Maths lessons provide children with opportunities to be successful in fluency, reasoning and problem solving activities. We aim to allow children to reach their deep learning stage where the learning sticks and can be applied and their deepest learning where it can be transferred in different contexts.

Implementation

At Lathom Park children are taught Maths for 60 minutes daily. All children learn using White Rose Maths small steps and with resources to support their progression. Each lesson begins with recall activities to support children’s ability to retain knowledge in their long-term memory. Children work through workbooks for each maths topic to engage children and reduce workload. In Maths, we ensure all children and particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or high needs, are given opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. Where relevant children will also use alternative activities within their Maths jotters or through physical tasks to embed learning further. 

Concrete, pictorial, abstract, objects, pictures, words, numbers, and symbols are everywhere. The mastery approach incorporates all of these to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience, and deepen understanding. Together, these elements help cement knowledge so pupils truly understand what they’ve learnt. All pupils, when introduced to a key new concept, should have the opportunity to build competency in this topic by taking this approach. 

Pupils are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols. 

• Concrete – children can use concrete objects and manipulate 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. 

Times Table Rock Stars and Numbots are used in class and as homework to support children with number fluency and times table fluency Children are encouraged to challenge friends and staff to further engage them.

Taking maths outdoors allows the children to engage in active learning and other strategies to allow their learning to stick.  

Children who need targeted support for Maths also engage in Fluency Bee interventions as part of the White Rose Maths platform to support their understanding further.

Impact

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. Children enjoy Maths! We have fostered an environment where Maths is fun and it is OK to make mistakes because the journey to finding an answer is most important. Our children have or are developing their growth mindset, and they make measurable progression against their own targets. 

Our feedback and interventions are supporting children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be ensuring a greater proportion of children are on track. Children ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem. 

Children are developing skills in being articulate and are able to verbally, pictorially and in written form reason well. 

Following intent and implementation, we aim for the children have the following skills: 

• Quick recall of facts and procedures 

• The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of Mathematics. 

• The ability to recognise relationships and make connections in Mathematics