Mathematics

Maths is taught daily in all year groups. Lessons are timetabled to ensure children receive at least 50-minute maths lessons in Key Stage 1 and 60-minute maths lessons in Key Stage 2. Within the Early Years provision, maths is taught daily in short whole class sessions with learning consolidated through carefully planned learning experiences within the provision. Fluency is a key component of our maths curriculum with discrete fluency sessions taught at least three times a week within each year group.  
 
The maths units taught throughout our curriculum are in line with the requirements of the National Curriculum and include Number and Place Value, Number facts, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Fractions, Measurement, Geometry, Statistics and Algebra. Knowledge builds progressively throughout the curriculum from EYFS to Year 6 with mathematical content being revisited and retrieved frequently to support pupils to build a deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and the connections between them.  
 
We ensure that children understand and recognise links between maths, the wider curriculum and real-life contexts through carefully planned links across subjects, for example the use of measurements and statistics in science; graphs and map coordinates in geography; time, dates and chronology in history; position and direction in PE; and shapes and geometry in art.

Our curriculum begins in the Early Years where pupils are fully immersed into the world of maths through a rich Early Years curriculum. The maths curriculum in reception exposes pupils to number and integrates maths into their daily life through frequent and varied opportunities. Manipulatives and representations are used to develop the secure knowledge, vocabulary and understanding of mathematical concepts. Pupils develop good number sense which lays the foundations needed for later success and both a positive attitude and passion for mathematics which continues across the school.

Within the Early Years setting, maths is embedded through a carefully planned continuous provision which includes: 

• A role-play area using money, clocks or price tags which develop their recognition of number and supports them to count, add or subtract and begin to understand time.

• A construction area with blocks and shapes which helps to develop their understanding of size, shape, measurements and patterns. 

• Water and sand play to learn about capacity, volume and weight. 

• Small world play using vehicles and animals to explore position and direction. 

• A creative studio where they learn more about geometry, patterns and spatial awareness. 

• Snack time where they discuss more, less, sharing equally and counting.

Maths is taught daily across the school and is planned for using high-quality resources which ensure a coherent learning journey from the Early Years to the end of Key Stage 2. Learning is broken down into small, sequenced steps and it is this which enable pupils to build their understanding of mathematical concepts and expose the relationships between them. 
 
Our maths curriculum uses a ‘Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract’ approach whereby pupils use physical and visual aids to facilitate their understanding of an abstract concept. We begin by using manipulatives to support pupils to ‘see’ the structure of the maths before using pictorial representations of concrete objects to further expose the structure and to bridge the gap between the concrete and abstract representations. The CPA approach provides the scaffolding required to ensure progress and success for all our pupils. 
 
Oracy is an important feature of our maths curriculum. Mathematical talk enables our pupils to express their ideas and articulate their thinking whilst also enabling pupils to develop their sense-making. Questions and tasks are planned for which provide opportunities for mathematical talk. Furthermore, stem sentences are incorporated into lessons to promote oracy in maths. These structured sentences provide a scaffold for all pupils to explain mathematical concepts or verbalise their ideas using accurate and precise mathematical language. 
 
Fluency in mathematics begins in the Early Years, through the Mastering Number programme, and continues into Key Stage One and beyond. Separate fluency sessions are taught at least three times a week throughout Key Stage One and Key Stage Two with the aim being to develop pupils’ sense of number, including their understanding of the composition of numbers and the relationship between them. Fluency sessions also develop pupils’ automaticity of additive and subtractive number facts alongside multiplicative facts in Key Stage Two. Fluency in calculations is another integral part of our maths curriculum and supports pupils to apply known facts flexibly, accurately and efficiently. Conceptual and procedural variation within maths lessons further supports this. By providing opportunities within our maths curriculum for pupils to become fluent mathematicians, it increases their confidence, reduces anxiety and empowers them to calculate accurately, choose efficient strategies and apply their understanding to a range of mathematical contexts and problems with increasing success.  
 
We ensure the following key elements of effective teaching are included within our maths curriculum. 

Our maths curriculum is inclusive by design and enables each child full access to the maths learning through high-quality teaching. Support for pupils, including those who have EAL, SEND or are disadvantaged, is based on careful consideration of the child’s need. Teachers adapt lessons as necessary to ensure everyone has what they need to succeed and achieve in maths.

Our maths curriculum focuses on explicit instruction and includes the following teaching strategies to support all pupils as necessary: 

• Small, coherent steps in learning 

• Using examples and non-examples through conceptual variation 

• Effective modelling using clear, precise mathematical language, particularly through the use of stem sentences 

• Supporting the development of fluency in number facts to reduce cognitive load 

• Planning for misconceptions 

• Scaffolding understanding with the concrete, pictorial abstract approach and using representations to support ‘seeing’ the structure of the maths 

• Flexible grouping 

Diagnostic assessments are used to identify specific strengths and gaps in pupils’ understanding. These are then used to inform targeted teaching, support early intervention and measure progress over time. Early identification and targeted teaching enable us to boost child confidence and ensure teaching and learning is adapted to the needs of the child.

Enrichment in maths takes place alongside our curriculum and enables children to engage in their maths learning and experience a culturally rich education. We want our children to see and understand the relevance of their maths learning so we include opportunities for enrichment in maths through:

• Chess club

• Learning about buying and selling through the seasonal school shop

• An annual enterprise event run by Year 6 pupils whereby they learn about budgeting, costs and profit through the running of a mini business.

• Financial Literacy lessons and visits from local banks 

• Times Table Rockstars Club 

• Maths ambassadors 

• Playground markings which support children to turn abstract mathematical ideas into physical, visual and playful learning experiences and support them to develop shape and space awareness. 

• Cross-curricular links which support using maths skills in a real-life context e.g. collecting and analysing data in geography and coding to support sequencing and logical thinking in computing.

The British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance are actively promoted at East Hunsbury Primary School and are threaded throughout the maths curriculum to provide opportunities for children’s further understanding.

Democracy: 

• Children are encouraged to take turns when speaking and working with others. 

• Children are supported to consider the views and opinions of others, while still having the right to make their own decisions. 

• Children are encouraged to explore fairness in mathematical games and activities. 

• Children are encouraged to make group decisions during problem-solving tasks.  

• Children use voting and data handling within maths to represent results. 

Rule of Law: 

• Children understand and follow rules in maths games and activities. 

• Children apply consistent methods and procedures, for example rules for calculations.  

• Children discuss the consequences of breaking rules in a maths context e.g. using the incorrect operation.  

Individual Liberty: 

• Children are provided with opportunities to express their views as independent thinking is promoted throughout.

• Children understand that it is important to listen to the ideas of others, which may not be the same as theirs but are equally valid. 

• Children will be able to use their knowledge and understanding to explain their own mathematical ideas 

• Children are encouraged to choose their own method for solving problems. 

• Children value individual approaches and solutions.  

Mutual Respect: 

• Children are expected to listen carefully to the mathematical ideas or strategies of others and even if they differ from their own. 

• Children are reminded to treat each other equally and with respect. 

• Children respect different levels of understanding in their peers and support them appropriately.  

• Children work collaboratively in pairs or groups to solve mathematical problems. 

Tolerance: 

• Children learn to accept and appreciate that the ideas of others that may not be the same as their own. 

• Children explore multicultural contexts in maths such as patterns in Islamic art. 

The protected characteristics are actively promoted throughout our curriculum to ensure that pupils have an age-appropriate knowledge and understanding of the nine protected characteristics. Our curriculum, including the maths curriculum, ensures that, as a school, we: 

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010. 

• Provide equality for all. 

• Foster good relations between persons. 

There are many links between our maths curriculum and our school education teams, with the most notable ones being with the ‘Enterprise and Economics Team’. As part of this team, the children participate in an annual whole school maths day where they complete in maths challenges across the school. These challenges are decided upon by the school maths ambassadors and are funded through profits generated by the school shop. The maths day ensures that children use maths in open-ended challenges which promote reasoning and logical thinking and it presents maths in a fun and creative context - reducing maths anxiety and building confidence. Furthermore, the maths day supports collaboration amongst pupils and links their maths learning to an everyday situation or scenario.

As part of ‘Our World’, the children participate in the annual celebration Earth Day. Throughout this event, the children develop their understanding of the importance of our planet and local environment through a range of activities which require the use of maths e.g. interpreting data, measuring, considering position and direction, estimating and using scale or distance to create something.

The ‘Careers and Aspirations’ team incorporates maths within its annual careers fair. This event is an introduction to a variety of jobs and ensures children know what jobs and careers are available to them. Alongside this, an annual STEAM event at the University of Northampton promotes and inspires children’s engagement in maths and allows them to discover new passions, unique jobs and opportunities for their future education.