Mathematics
MATHEMATICS: INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION and IMPACT
Intent
That our children will:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics.
- develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly.
- be able to reason and problem solve by applying mathematics to a variety of increasingly complex problems.
- build upon and consolidate their knowledge and understanding
- develop resilience that enables them to reason and problem solve with increased confidence.
- be able to apply and further consolidate their mathematical understanding across a range of other subjects.
Implementation
- At Whingate, teachers plan for maths lessons using the national curriculum with the support of planning documents and resources from the White Rose Maths Hub.
- White Rose Maths planning is adapted by teachers to suit the needs of the children. Children are grouped flexibly and learning provides an appropriate level of challenge for all learners.
- Regular use of 'Flashback 4s' give children the chance to consolidate prior learning.
- Lessons involve the use of the CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach and children are taught how to use a range of models, images and manipulatives to aid their understanding.
- Lessons involve regular opportunities for children to discuss their learning and to collaborate in pairs or groups, where appropriate, to investigate and to solve problems, linking closely to our Personalised Curriculum aims of ‘Communicate’ and ‘Explore’.
- ‘My favourite no’ is used throughout school to celebrate and recognise children’s explanations of their learning and to help them to feel comfortable with taking risks and learning from mistakes.
- Maths is taught daily and lessons give the children the opportunity to consolidate prior learning as well as moving their learning forward.
- Children in Reception and Key Stage 1 have a daily ‘Mastering Number’ session to improve their understanding of the very basics of number.
- A high emphasis is placed on using accurate mathematical vocabulary to explain learning - vocabulary is discussed at the start of each unit of work and children self-assess against their understanding of this vocabulary, which is then displayed on vocabulary traffic lights on working walls.
- Children have access to the online programs Mathletics (KS2 only), Doodle Maths and Times Table Rockstars (Years 2 to 6) to support their learning.
- Where needed, some children have additional intervention outside of the daily maths lesson to support them in areas which teachers have identified they need extra help with (this includes small group tuition sessions with a Tutor Trust tutor for children in Years 5 and 6, after school tuition sessions with teachers of teaching assistants who have undertaken National Tuition Partnership School-Led Tutoring training and opportunities to work 1:1 with an adult to work on ‘tricky questions’ encountered when using the Doodle Maths intervention program).
Impact
Children can:
- Make good progress from their own personal starting points.
- Show confidence in their mathematical ability and have a ‘can do’ approach to maths.
- Recall and apply knowledge rapidly.
- Explain their mathematical understanding through words or visual representations.
- Apply their mathematical knowledge to a range of reasoning and problem solving contexts, including practical contexts within other subject areas.
As a school we are currently taking part in the West Yorkshire Maths Hub Mastery Readiness program. This is the first step in our journey towards teaching for mastery. This process was started in 2021 and will continue until 2025.
The ‘Five Big Ideas’ published by the NCETM are drawn from research evidence and underpin teaching for mastery.
Coherence
Lessons are broken down into small connected steps that gradually unfold the concept, providing access for all children and leading to a generalisation of the concept and the ability to apply the concept to a range of contexts.
Representation and Structure
Representations used in lessons expose the mathematical structure being taught, the aim being that students can do the maths without recourse to the representation
Mathematical Thinking
If taught ideas are to be understood deeply, they must not merely be passively received but must be worked on by the student: thought about, reasoned with and discussed with others
Fluency
Quick and efficient recall of facts and procedures and the flexibility to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics
Variation
Variation is twofold. It is firstly about how the teacher represents the concept being taught, often in more than one way, to draw attention to critical aspects, and to develop deep and holistic understanding. It is also about the sequencing of the episodes, activities and exercises used within a lesson and follow up practice, paying attention to what is kept the same and what changes, to connect the mathematics and draw attention to mathematical relationships and structure.
First published by NCETM in 2017
