Maths Intent, Implementation and Impact 

Intent

The 2014 National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all children:

 

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics
• are able to reason mathematically
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics

 

At Park Road Primary, these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts.

 

We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of Mathematics.

 

Implementation

Our Maths curriculum provides breadth and balance, is relevant and engaging and is differentiated to match the needs and abilities of all our children to ensure that all pupils are able to excel.

 

As a school, we believe in the importance of following the concrete-pictorial-approach as a means to developing a solid understanding of mathematical concepts which can be applied in a variety of contexts through reasoning and problem-solving challenges.

 

Children receive a minimum of 5hours maths tuition each week with additional sessions dedicated to number proficiency and times tables.

 

From Reception to Year 6, we adhere to our progression in calculation policy which outlines the progression of strategies and methods to be taught.

 

We use DfE approved ‘Power Maths’ scheme which is fully aligned with the White Rose Maths scheme as a foundation for teaching.

 

New concepts are shared within the context of an initial problem, which children are able to discuss in partners. This initial problem-solving activity prompts discussion and reasoning, as well as promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that link to other areas of learning. Children are encouraged to solve problems each day through the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and abstract thinking (the C-P-A approach). This helps children tackle concepts in a tangible and more comfortable way.

 

Teachers use careful questions to draw out children’s discussions and their reasoning. The class teacher then leads children through strategies for solving the problem, including those already discussed. Children then progress to their independent work, where each question varies one small element to move children on in their thinking. Children complete intelligent practice independently, ending in a ‘Reflect’ section where children reveal the depth of their understanding before moving on to more complex related problems.

 

White Rose Premium resources are frequently used to complement this part of the lesson with sophisticated problems, as well as exploratory, investigative tasks, within the lesson as appropriate.

 

Impact

The school has a supportive ethos, and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others.

 

Students can underperform in Mathematics because they think they cannot do it or are not naturally good at it. The school’s use of Power Maths and White Rose Maths addresses these preconceptions by ensuring that all children experience challenge and success in Mathematics by developing a positive growth mindset.

 

In order to ensure we continue to embed mastery approaches:

 

• we will have teachers and support staff who fully understand and support the pedagogy
• we will have children who are increasingly engaged in maths lessons and talk passionately about the subject, making links with other subjects and with the wider world.
• we will observe children tackling mathematical challenges with resilience, confidently using concrete resources and visual representations
• we will have children who are more articulate when discussing mathematical concepts
• we will see progress becoming more accelerated due to the way lessons are structured and the impact of immediate, tailored interventions
• we will have a greater proportion of our Reception children achieving age-related expectations within the early learning goals, and a greater percentage of our children achieving the higher standard scores at the end of each key stage

Click on the National Curriculum image for the National Curriculum programme of study for Maths