Maths
Subject Leaders: Mr MacMullen and Miss Betts
We love teaching maths and are very proud of the children’s achievements in maths. We are committed to the success of every single child in the school and our Key Stage 2 results regularly put us in the top 10% of schools nationally and consistently above the local authority average.
The National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics
We work closely with the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and London Thames MathsHub to benefit from the in depth professional development and resources which they offer. Our staff receive regular high quality training to ensure that they are familiar with the best ways to ensure that all children access the curriculum and attain highly. Mathematics, like reading and writing, is a key life skill which all children can and should be able to master.
Mr MacMullen is a NCETM Primary Maths Lead and a NCETM Professional Development Lead, and Mr Hollands is a Headteacher Advocate for the NCETM and a member of the local NCETM Board.
Every child a mathematician
At St Mark’s, our belief is that every single child can attain highly in maths. There is no special maths ‘gene’ or talent that makes some children attain highly and others struggle. With the right teaching and support, all children can master and enjoy primary school mathematics!
Mastery – deep understanding
The National Curriculum 2014 promotes a ‘mastery’ approach to teaching and learning mathematics which we in turn follow. Mastery means seeking to develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts such that the children can use and apply a concept to solve all kinds of problems related to it. Mastery means deep understanding of maths ideas, not just following rote formulae.
We use the Big Ideas of Mastery - which evidence shows gives every child the chance to learn and attain well
To develop depth of understanding, we try to use the Big Ideas of Mastery. In summary these are:
1. We teach maths in a coherent way - starting with the children already know and progressing through small steps with lots of opportunities to explore, think, reason and succeed. Our teaching is carefully paced and sequenced so that all children can think and understand maths clearly and deeply.
2. We make maths visible. For children to succeed they need to clearly see the underlying structures of maths. We use what is called the Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract (CPA) approach. This is highly successful in areas such as Singapore and Shanghai. It means showing children with physical (concrete) and visual models what a maths idea such as place value, subtraction or ratio really means. When children have a chance to see and touch maths in physical models, they start to develop a depth of understanding. This is supported by consistent, key language and always linked to the abstract approach (mathematical symbols and numbers). Skilfully used, this provides the right support for all children to understand and succeed.
3. We provide plenty of opportunities to think, reason, explain and connect mathematical ideas. This makes maths learning an active and engaging process.
4. We understand the need for fluency with number facts such as addition and subtraction within 10 and 20 and times tables, as well as with procedures such as column multiplication. We use NCETM's Mastering Number resources and the award winning NumberBlocks to support learning in Reception and KS1.
Longer blocks of time
We use a Mastery curriculum designed to teach all concepts in longer blocks of time so that the children have time to understand and learn an idea in all its forms, subtleties and variations. We use the White Rose curriculum, which was originally developed by a government funded maths hub and adapt it to meet the needs of all learners. The curriculum is organised so that we start with the basics and master these before moving on. This curriculum is supported by further materials the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM) You will see that our curriculum puts an equal emphasis on developing fluency (quick recall of facts and concepts) and then applying this to reasoning problems and problem solving.
Mastery Question Examples
Maths in EYFS
Maths is a central part of the children's learning in Reception. Over the course of the year the children acquire a deep understanding of each number to 10, including the composition of the number. We work closely with London Thames MathsHub to use a mastery approach to teaching and learning maths and NCETM's Mastering Number in KS1 guides the sequence of our whole class learning and in the maths area of the classroom and outside area.
Children learn to count the numbers in order and we check that all children acquire one to one correspondence and the principle of cardinality - that the last number you say when you have counted each thing once is the amount in the group or set. Children also learn to subitise - to recognise quantities up to 5 by seeing a pattern. Over the course of the year, children learn to connect, read and write the numerals linked to each amount.
We aim to teach children to go beyond this however and get a real depth of understanding by understanding how each number is related to the numbers before and after it, including the relationship of one more and one less with consecutive numbers and the key concept of part / whole relationships. For example, we will learn that three has one and two inside it, and that when we combine the two parts, we get the whole 3. We use representations such as part whole models and tens frames in this process, along with a host of other concrete representations. NCETM resources such as the award-winning NumberBlocks are used to support and extend all of this learning.
The children work towards being able to automatically recall all number bonds to 5, including both addition and subtraction facts and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.
We aim to work slowly and securely and to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn in depth and practice enough to achieve mastery. As we understand each number progressively, we deepen understanding by comparing quantities up to 10 in different contexts, explaining when one quantity, size, length, weight or capacity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity. It is also important for children to explore and represent patterns within numbers, including odd and even, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally in practical contexts.
Children learn to count beyond 10 and verbally beyond 20 with a focus on recognising the pattern in the counting system past twenty (twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three...).
While our focus is on number and place value, our mathematical learning also includes a wide range of mathematical areas. In our early telling the time as we begin to describe a series of events using sequence words like "first", "then". We explore the properties of shapes and develop spatial reasoning by learning to select, rotate and manipulate shapes. We also learn that a shape can have other shapes within it, just as numbers can. For example, a rectangle can contain a square. We talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes, such as circles, rectangles and triangles, using both formal and informal mathematical language such as sides, corners, flat, round, straight. We talk about how these properties are important to select shapes appropriately – for example, that flat surfaces can work well to make windows or walls. Over time, children learn to select, rotate and manipulate these shapes, developing their early spatial reasoning skills. The language of position, direction and movement is also important – children learn to understand positions and information, including from simple maps, developing vocabulary such as under, in front of and between.
Maths is at the heart of daily routines at St Mark’s - we say and number the days of the week every day, we count the number in class every day, we count up to 100 days and celebrate the 100th day of school with “100 day”, we enjoy mathematical talk and games and programs, including NumberBlocks.
Addition & Subtraction Calculation Policy
Multiplication & Division Calculation Policy
SEND
Teachers are well skilled at adapting teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning considers individual pupil’s needs and requirements, and adaptive teaching is used where appropriate.
A range of adaptations are considered to promote equality of access and ensure that all pupils can experience success and challenge in their learning. Grouping arrangements are organised flexibly with opportunities for both ability and mixed setting to maximise learning opportunities for all.