Maths
At Caddington Village School we value Maths. We are MATHEMATICANS!
We recognise the place of maths in each one of our lives, and so seek to deliver a curriculum that our pupils find engaging, varied and most importantly, supports children in developing the maths skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.
Maths enables all our children to develop and master fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills across the maths curriculum. Learning is presented using CPA methods (concrete, pictorial and abstract) in all or most lessons. We believe that all our children should be able to confidently use mathematical vocabulary and resources.
Children are encouraged to be independent learners and have opportunities to make choices of how they want to solve calculations or problems. These choices will gradually be streamlined so that all children are utilising formal written methods as per our calculation policy.
At the heart of our maths curriculum is the belief that all children can succeed and can become experts. This is achieved by addressing misconceptions and providing opportunities to undertake challenging activities.
We are MATHEMATICANS!
At Caddington Village School we understand the crucial role of mathematics within the overall context of the curriculum.
Mathematics is based on patterns and relationships from the world around us. Our school aims to give all pupils the confidence to make sense of the world in which they live; by understanding and having the ability to think and communicate in the language of mathematics. We also look to embed the multiplication tables up to 12 x 12 in the children’s long-term memories through frequent spaced practice.
We aim to provide children with opportunities to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. We also provide opportunities to develop children’s ability to problem-solve and reason in a variety of different contexts, applying their mathematical knowledge
As the children progress through our curriculum their maths skills will progress with them. We support children in making links between existing knowledge and learnt knowledge to ensure a systematic acquisition of knowledge so that children can continue to progress through new taught concepts within their current year group.
Studying mathematics stimulates curiosity, fosters creativity and equips children with the skills they need in life beyond school.
Each year group follows the objectives outlined in the National Curriculum. The scheme White Rose Maths is used to support teachers in planning and delivering lessons that meet the year group objectives within the National Curriculum and to ensure that all content is covered by the end of the academic year. We have daily mathematics lessons which offer fluency in number and opportunities to deepen understanding through problem solving and reasoning
Teachers have an expectation that all pupils can achieve high standards in
Mathematics and identify those pupils who may need further support. Throughout the
academic year, children study Mathematics in blocks, as outlined in the long-term plans. This allows children to revisit prior learning and create a deeper understanding into the different areas of mathematics throughout the duration of each block. Learning in each block is broken down into small steps to ensure that all children make good progress.
Within White Rose Maths, children are exposed to elements of fluency, reasoning and problem solving as the lessons are designed around these three mathematical elements. Regardless of ability, all children should have access to fluency, reasoning and problem solving as well as opportunities to show greater depth of understanding.
In EYFS the `Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage` and the non-statutory guidance of `Development Matters’ provides the long-term planning in EYFS. To support further with their planning and link with key stage 1, teachers use the White Rose Maths Early Years resources. In EYFS maths there are two main areas for children to achieve by the end of the curriculum, that of focus on number and numerical pattern.
In key stages 1 and 2, to allow teachers to design a creative and engaging curriculum, White Rose Maths is enriched by successful practice from elsewhere. This includes but isn’t limited to Classroom Secrets; Master the Curriculum; Third Space Learning; NRICH; NCETM; DfE Non-Statutory Mathematics guidance. The White Rose progression document will be referred to when planning to ensure that any gaps in learning are addressed. Teachers will revisit and review concepts from the previously taught year group before moving onto current year group content.
Within lessons children will have access to concrete resources to help them embed and understand new knowledge. Children will have access to concrete resources before moving onto pictorial representations and abstract problems. Children should have access to a range of different variations to support them to achieve a deep understanding of a taught concept.
Language is a crucial part of mathematics, and we ensure that children are exposed to a range of mathematical vocabulary which will be displayed on the working wall and referred to often. Vocabulary will be current and used regularly within mathematics lessons. Children are encouraged to explain their thinking and use `because` to demonstrate their understanding.
From the EYFS children are encouraged to talk and wonder about mathematics and are taught contextually giving the mathematics the children are taught, meaning and relevance to daily life. Mathematics is taught in a context to make learning more personalised and enjoyable for the children.
Multiplication facts are reviewed at least three times a week to encourage children to be able to learn and recall multiplication and related division facts confidently. All children have access to Times Tables Rock Stars to continually practise their multiplication and division facts. Within years 3 to 6 this is reviewed weekly to target specific times tables and provide focus for the week’s multiplication teaching. Times Tables Rock Stars can be accessed both at school and at home. In Years 5 and 6, pupils complete a weekly arithmetic check, to gauge their progress and identify gaps that need addressing.
Feedback is provided in books as per the school marking policy. We also encourage teachers, particularly with the older children, to use answer sheets where possible to allow children to live mark their work and monitor progress as they work.
During the lesson, live marking will take place. The use of green and yellow highlighters will enable pupils to understand how they are progressing.
Teachers continuously apply assessment for learning. If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly through our live marking policy, and early intervention ensures the pupil is ready to move forward with the whole class in the next lesson.
Assessment is also ongoing via the use of children’s data (termly), book monitoring, observations, moderation, end of unit assessments, informal chats to pupils, walk-throughs and working walls (ongoing). We also use the Depth of Learning program to electronically record where the pupils are in meeting the key concepts of Mathematics. This ensures standards are being met at the end of EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in relation to the mathematics Early Learning Goal and the mathematics National Curriculum programme of study.
The expectation is that most pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
At Caddington Village School standards are rapidly improving as demonstrated by end of year assessments and Key Stage results. Teacher judgements are internally moderated and based on current best practice.
The children can talk about how they apply maths and the methods they use to tackle
mathematical problems and calculations.
The children will be able to understand mathematical vocabulary and can explain their
thinking.