Maths at Western House Academy

At Western House Academy, we follow the White Rose Maths scheme of learning. This is a Mastery approach to maths and ensures that children are tackling problem solving in a multitude of different ways. Children are reminded of their prior learning and these skills are then added to. Questioning is a fundamental part of each lesson as we believe they encourage discussion and aid learning. Children and adults are expected to use mathematical vocabulary in every lesson and this is discussed at the beginning of every lesson.

When teaching maths, every child's ability is taken into consideration and resources provided so children can work independently. Formative assessment is carried out regularly to ensure that any gaps in learning are addressed promptly. Maths is taught in an engaging way allowing children to use and apply what they have learnt to everyday situations. Whole class feedback sheets are completed by the teacher and successes are celebrated and misconceptions addressed. 

In lessons, children are encouraged to discuss their thoughts towards problem solving and they are expected to justify their answers – this can be carried out in a number of different ways through written explanations, diagrams or pictures. By doing this, teachers are able to extend more able children during the lesson. Problem solving and reasoning are an integral part of every lesson and children have the opportunity to use and apply what they have learned in this part of the lesson. 

Children are exposed to arithmetic questions daily - Fluent in Five - which is a quick five minute activity where the four operations are worked on so that when they are needed in the maths lessons, children can apply these to their work. There has been great progress in these area of maths in the past couple of years and we are proud to say that it is integral to our maths curriculum.

In Year 4, children sit the Multiplication Tables Check and there is a clear programme of progression from Year 1 in order to prepare the children for this assessment - this includes discreet teaching and dedicated time to learn times tables. Daily 10 minute sessions allow for the times tables to be revisited so that the children are able to recall times tables with accuracy and speed. 

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are working on 'Mastering Number' in collaboration with the Maths Hub. This is a daily activity where the children work on different elements of number working and really master this. The activities are designed to allow all children to access them and, through questioning, children can be stretched in their thinking. 

'every opportunity shapes a life'

Using Values: as a value based school, values are weaved into the very ethos of everything that we do and maths is included in that. Children are respectful of other children's learning and offer support when needed. Opportunities are given to children which allow for teamwork to be an everyday occurrence  in maths lessons. We encourage the children to be resilient in their learning and not to give up when they are finding something a little tricky. 

Developing Knowledge: we believe that knowledge is building on what the children already know and when they do this they are able to make links therefore remembering more. With White Rose Maths, children build on prior learning which is highlighted to them before moving onto new learning. 'I am...' statements help to focus the learning so when the statement is revisited, children can recall and focus on their new learning.

Developing Equality: each topic is taught in depth so that children have a real understanding of their new learning. Manipulatives are used to aid this understanding and children are encouraged to use the manipulatives for as long as they need to - this promotes independent learning. Children are then encourage to move on and to complete calculations using pictorial and abstract methods. Small steps are taught for each objective so that children can learn to apply this new learning to problem solving and reasoning.

Developing Experience: maths is taught discretely. It is, at times, built into other lessons but the National Curriculum lays out what needs to be taught in which year groups and White Rose Maths follows this in their scheme of work. Maths is sometimes covered in Science and Project Based Learning but only where it is going to aid the learning there. 

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