Maths
Intent – Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in a particular manner?
Mathematics is an essential and innovative discipline that helps us interpret and change the world we live in today. Our ambition is for all children at Castle Primary School to experience the beauty, influence and enjoyment of mathematics and develop a sense of imagination and interest through the subject with clarity.
At Castle Primary School, we enhance positive attitudes towards the subject through growth mindsets, ensuring that all children understand that they can do Maths, and that any difficulty is purely temporary. Our outlook as a community is that all children are able to achieve in Mathematics, and this is accentuated through ensuring that all children are taught to have a secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through concise differentiation.
We aim for all children to:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including 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.
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
- solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
Implementation – What do we teach? What does this look like?
Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children to thrive and learn, by putting all pupils at the forefront of everything we do, regardless of their background or ability. This allows all children to flourish and become the very best version of themselves.
To encourage whole-school consistency and progression, the school has adopted the DfE approved ‘White Rose Maths’ scheme of learning. This scheme is fully aligned with the principles outlined in the school’s ongoing engagement with the DfE funded Maths Hubs programme, continuing to support the staff at all levels fully understand the pedagogy of the ‘mastery’ approach.
New concepts are often introduced to the children within the context of an initial related problem; this prompts discussion and verbal reasoning, in addition to promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that are connected to other areas of learning. This articulation with peers is supported through the manipulation of concrete resources, with all children being given the independence to explore. Teachers direct intelligently-planned questions to draw out children’s thought processes, enhancing the high-quality vocabulary we expect at Castle Primary School. This elicited learning is reinforced by teacher-supported strategies for solving the problem, including those already discussed. The democratic approach to learning within the subject allows all pupils to reflect on their learning and contribute to whole-class discussions, supporting the children as they enter their independent learning.
Impact – By the time children leave our school, they will…
The school has a compassionate ethos and our approaches support children in developing their collaborative and independent skills. Children can often find difficulty in Mathematics as they believe that they simply ‘can’t do it’ or that you have to be naturally good at it. In our community, we address these preconceptions regularly by ensuring that all children experience challenge and success in the subject through developing a growth mindset. Assessment is used in order to inform teaching, as well as intervention, to meet the needs of all children, allowing the subject to be accessed positively by all involved. Through this, we consistently highlight our high standards and expectations, which is evident through every child’s ability to follow a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
