What is our aim with maths at Springfield? (Intent)
The aim of our mathematics curriculum is for children to become confident and independent mathematic learners who are able to solve age appropriate problems. At Springfield, children learn mathematics through a mastery approach. We use the NCETM 5 Big Ideas for Mastery within our planning ensuring a coherent curriculum where children become fluent problem solvers. Our curriculum is planned and taught using a 6 stage lesson approach: Recap, Instruction, Practise, Consolidation, Revision and Application. Our teachers adapt lessons to ensure that the needs of all children are met and can progress in their maths skills and knowledge successfully. Children explore mathematics and solve problems by building on their prior learning. They use manipulatives and different representations to embed their understanding of concepts as well as using formal methods to solve problems. The children communicate their clear understanding of mathematics within class through maths partners, group work and within their maths books. Children are challenged with problems in real life contexts so they are able to understand how maths works in the real world.
What does this look like in the classroom? (Implementation)
Teachers plan using a mastery approach, meaning that children progress through the curriculum together and master concepts before moving onto new learning. A clear progression of knowledge and skills is implemented within teachers planning of topics which build on prior learning to allow the children to progress through the curriculum. Mathematics vocabulary is explicitly taught in lesson and children are expected to understand and use key vocabulary accurately. Our teachers are highly skilled at adapting the learning to suit all learners so that all children build their math knowledge and skills throughout year 3 to year 6. Children are explicitly taught their times tables to 12x12 explicitly using a counting stick in year 3 and year 4, with this continuing into year 5 and 6 where necessary. Children are supported by:
Recapping and reviewing previous learning regularly (at least twice per week during registration and within maths lessons)
Making links within and across different areas if mathematics
Weekly homework includes developing children’s times table knowledge using Times Table Rockstars (https://ttrockstars.com/). Continuous practise of times tables has proven to be a massive benefit to children as they move through the curriculum.
Opportunities to engage in high quality maths talk with their peers
Receiving high quality feedback to move their learning forward
Working walls within the classroom displaying worked examples to support them to become more independent learners
How do we support all learners? All children deserve to be successful in their maths learning. Teachers use a range of creative ideas to challenge all of our pupils. By adapting our teaching, we support the needs of those children who have special educational needs, disabilities, English as an additional language or special gifts and talents. We use our skills as teachers to identify learning needing additional support and ensure that support is put into place for those children. This may include small group work, 1-1 interventions or online tutoring. Children who attain highly in maths are challenged regularly within lessons to deepen their understanding of concepts. Through class teaching and regular monitoring we identify how well our children are attaining in maths and analyse data to inform decisions about our maths teaching and learning.
Attached is a file outlining the basic number skills taught in each year group.
At Springfield, our children achieve well in maths because our teachers are highly skilled at implementing the intended curriculum. They know how to build on children’s prior learning and progress clearly through the curriculum. We consistently achieve well in Standard Assessments (SATs) with 92% of children achieving the expected standard in maths in May 2019 (compared with the national average of 78%).
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
Summative assessments of pupil’s learning each term (internal assessments)
Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
Formative assessment (in class teacher assessment)
National assessments
FFT to review the progress and attainment of different groups of learners