Intent

It is our intention that our Maths curriculum ensures that the children at Abbey Gates finish their time at primary school as confident and positive mathematicians. The children at Abbey Gates will become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, having a conceptual understanding of the maths and will be able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly efficiently, and accurately. They will be able to reason mathematically and solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems.

Equip: Through carefully planned, sequenced and progressive lessons, children are equipped with efficient mathematical methods, rapid recall of number facts, a fluent understanding of mathematical concepts, and an ability to reason and problem solve, enabling them to become independent, confident and positive mathematics.

Embed: Teachers know children’s prior mathematical learning and use their knowledge of this as well as the regularly revisiting of key mathematical concepts, vocabulary and representations to ensure that children embed a fluent understanding of their maths.

Extend:  We aim to ensure challenge for all through breadth of learning. One of the keyways that we extended children's learning at Abbey Gates is by the making of connections with previous taught concepts. We teach the children that there is no such thing as ‘new' maths, rather that it all builds on from one another - extending on. Furthermore, we challenge the children to verbal explaining their mathematical thinking, their connections and their reasoning, making use of the correct mathematical vocabulary and being confident in doing so

Enrich: Through our creative curriculum approach, we also seek to explore and utilise further opportunities to use and apply mathematics across all subject areas. This helps to develop our curriculum drivers of: possibilities and diversity. Throughout the whole curriculum, opportunities exist to extend and promote mathematics further. Teachers seek to take advantage of these in many ways. Children access engaging, interactive ICT games to support their learning, including TTRockstars and Numbots.

Implement

At Abbey Gates, we understand the importance of a well-planned, progressive and consistent approach to teaching.

Every mathematical lessons should follow a Teaching for Mastery approach and be based around ‘The 5 Big Ideas’ model.

Teachers follow the White Rose Primary Progression document to order the children’s mathematical learning sequence. White Rose Maths provides the ‘skeleton’ for class teachers to then build and plan the children’s learning journey.

The approach to the teaching of mathematics within the school is based on these key principles:

• daily mathematics lessons
• daily fluency tasks to ensure that the key mathematical concepts are continually revisited and embedded
• a clear focus on direct, instructional teaching and interactive oral work with the whole class and group so that Maths is taught in a ‘Ping Pong’ style
• an emphasis on mental calculation, and effective and efficient choice of a chosen method
• activities which are engaging and challenging to all pupils (and differentiated where needed)
• learning through layers of support to move from concrete (with physical resources), to pictorial (with pictures to support) and finally to abstract (i.e. with no resources or pictures to support)     

Each classroom utilises a Maths Working Wall, which is meaningful to the children. This includes key vocabulary, WAGOLLs of methods, reasoning/problem solving sentence stems and a further motivational challenge or retrieval recap area.

Impact

The impact of our maths offer is measured through our comprehensive monitoring cycle, which includes book looks, digital evidence, learning walks, pupil voice, planning scrutiny and curriculum intent reviews. Once reviewed, the subject leader will formulate an action plan for improvement.

We assess and track Maths against standards in each year group. When assessing, we are looking for sustained mastery, greater depth, inspired learners and children who are fulfilling their potential. Assessment is also used as a tool to plan and implement interventions, of which the success is measured effectively.

The intended impact of our Maths curriculum offer is outlined below:

• a positive attitude towards mathematics
• competence and confidence in mathematical knowledge, concepts and skills
• children to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that pupils have a conceptual understanding and can recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately to problems
• pupils who can make connections across mathematical ideas
• an ability to solve problems, to reason, to think logically and to work systematically and accurately
• an ability to work both independently and in cooperation with others
• an ability to communicate and discuss their mathematical understanding/concepts
• an awareness of the relevance of mathematics in the real world
• an ability to use and apply mathematics across the curriculum and in real life.