Mathematics
INTENT - At Cullercoats, we believe that we strive to instil in our children a love of learning for Maths both in the classroom and in the world around them. By working together all children will develop and reach their full potential and become fluent, confident mathematicians. We offer a broad range of cross curricular activities to enhance and consolidate Maths skills and knowledge.
Our Aims are to ensure that all pupils:
- become fluent and confident in maths.
- develop a sound mathematical vocabulary in order to be able to confidently reason and problem solve.
- use and apply their mathematical knowledge in a range of contexts.
IMPLEMENTATION
The Story so far …….
Building on our previous success in both progress and attainment in Maths, we are now further developing our teaching and learning to incorporate key elements of Maths Mastery. Our journey towards developing a new Maths Mastery curriculum began in September 2020, where 2 members of staff became part of the National Centre of Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) Research Group which is linked to the Maths Hub National Programme. They have worked alongside Maths Mastery Specialists and Leads from regional schools to observe teaching and work in collaboration. We received a Match Funding Grant to purchase ‘Power Maths’ textbooks from Reception to Year 6. During the Summer term of 2021, Cullercoats invested in a wide range of manipulatives for Nursery - Year 6 to support the teaching of maths with an initial focus on one of the key principles of Mastery – Representation.
From the Autumn of 2021 Staff are using these resources alongside (NCETM) and White Rose Maths Materials to support teaching and learning.
Our EYFS/KS1 Maths Lead attended the Maths Hub ‘Building Firm Foundations in the Early Years’ Mastery course working alongside lead mastery teachers to embed mastery principles and is currently developing this within Nursery and Reception. In addition, three teachers in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are taking part in the NCTEM - ‘Mastering Number’ course to support the children’s development of good number sense.
Currently we are developing precise mathematical vocabulary and a language rich environment within our school. Stem sentences, talk partners and repetition are used to help explain, reason and consolidate the children’s mathematical thinking and describe representations.
Maths in our Classrooms…..
In Early Years our children are given daily opportunities to develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space through a combination of short, formal teaching sessions as well as a range of planned structured play situations. There is plenty of scope for exploration.
In Key Stages 1 and 2, daily Maths lessons are delivered and children receive input from their teacher to match their needs. Prior learning is used to inform planning and teaching. Lessons are designed on the principle of ‘concrete, pictorial to abstract’ and where applicable, a wide range of manipulatives are used across the school to support children to secure key concepts, and become fluent in methods of calculation. Misconceptions are identified and addressed as and when they arise.
High quality age appropriate mathematical language is used throughout the entire school, along with talk partners and stem sentences throughout each lesson. All children will be actively involved in the session and included through differentiated questioning, challenge tasks and support. Cross curricular opportunities are provided to further develop and support the teaching and learning of Maths.
Next Steps…
The main focus in school for 2022-23 will be introducing further principles of Maths Mastery along with redesigning the calculation policy so that it matches the new principles and the use of representations.
IMPACT - Our school are currently using Target Tracker to measure progress and attainment of all pupils against age related expectations. Data is analysed to identify any children who have not yet met age related expectations in order for teachers to plan accordingly. Statutory Assessments are used to inform staff of each pupil’s starting point and to monitor their progress and achievement throughout their time at Cullercoats.
In addition, staff use the small steps for progression and assess children’s progress against these as they are taught through class discussion and children’s workbooks.
Appropriate challenge is set as and when necessary, ensuring children will all reach their full potential consolidating their mathematical thinking, reasoning and fluency.
Our Maths Curriculum will ensure that all pupils have developed an enjoyment and a love of learning for maths, where they are academically prepared for life beyond Cullercoats and throughout their educational journey.
