Maths

Intent

All staff members at Pudsey Lowtown Primary School are committed to ensuring that all our pupils are successful in the three core areas of the Maths National Curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem solving. We know that all pupils need a strong foundation in maths skills to be able to access the learning at primary school and as they move on to high school and further education.

We use the White Rose Maths scheme progression document to ensure coverage but teachers may use other schema to deliver the sessions if they feel it is more appropriate. At Lowtown, we place firm emphasis on understanding number. We believe that a focus on mental processing ensures pupils are able to access increasingly challenging mathematical learning as they progress through our school.

Our curriculum aims to nurture a confidence in maths and equip them with the skills they need to achieve. We aim to help them become confident in their conceptual understanding and use of maths so that they have the self-belief, determination and mindset to succeed when presented with a challenge.

We also enable children to recognise how maths relates to the wider world in order to give the subject meaning and relevance so that they can use their mathematical skills and knowledge in real-life situations.

Implementation

Maths is taught as a single lesson on a daily basis, generally one hour per day, and as a cross-curricular subject as appropriate. We follow the teaching sequence outlined by the White Rose Maths Hub scheme of learning. This ensures that a coherent, consistent approach is implemented in all year groups. White Rose provide teachers with notes and guidance on how to enhance their teaching of the subject along with key vocabulary, questions, discussion and teaching points. The White Rose Maths Hub schemes of learning reflect the content of the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum for Maths.

The curriculum is broken down into small manageable steps in order to ensure that each lesson has a clear focus and helps children understand concepts by following a carefully planned sequence of lessons. This avoids the cognitive overload that can occur when too many concepts are covered at once and ensures that each lesson contributes to the long-term goal. Within each lesson, children have the opportunity to acquire, practice, apply and deepen their knowledge and skills as appropriate.

Pupils who understand concepts quickly are challenged by being offered problem solving activities to deepen their understanding. Concepts are revisited over time so that children can reinforce them and embed them into their long-term memory. Teachers have the flexibility to spend longer on specific skills or concepts if they feel it is necessary.

When introduced to a new concept, children have the opportunity to develop their understanding in a variety of ways. Concrete objects and manipulatives can be used to help with understanding. Alongside these, children use pictorial representations that can be used to help reason and solve problems. Concrete and pictorial representations then help support children’s understanding of abstract methods.

In whole class lessons, teachers and TA’s provide scaffolding and relevant support for pupils as necessary. Children who are not making expected progress are identified through a range of methods including but not exclusively; verbal responses in class, evidence in books and assessments. This can be daily, at the end of units or the end of the term. Subsequently, intervention sessions are put in place to support these children.

For those children with significant additional needs who are working outside of the year group curriculum, individual learning is provided to ensure progress over time.

Classrooms are equipped with working walls to aid in maths lessons. The content of the working walls is flexible and contains key vocabulary, concepts and knowledge as well as the current class learning.

Children are also encouraged to learn number bonds and times tables using the Times Table Rockstars and Numbots websites.

Regular and ongoing formative assessment informs day-to-day teaching and learning and the necessary support to enable all pupils to make progress. Pre-tests are completed before the start of each block. Pre learning tasks are a useful method to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding especially during this post lockdown year.

Each term, teachers complete a summative assessment, using the White Rose Tests; these tests are standardised and a scaled score calculated. This method enables teachers to see progress term on term and year on year. Children who are not making expected progress receive appropriate intervention support.

In-school moderation of learning is conducted by the maths subject leader and by the senior leadership team. This is based on a combination of lesson observation, written work and pupil voice.

Impact

The pupils at Lowtown Primary historically achieve a high standard in maths and go on to achieve at High School.

By the end of Foundation Stage, the majority of children achieve the Early Learning Goals and are ready to progress onto the National Curriculum. Results at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are considerably higher than the national average and a significant proportion of children achieve greater depth at the end of each stage. At the end of Key Stage 2, children leave Lowtown Primary School as confident, enthusiastic and resilient mathematicians, with an excellent Growth Mind-set, who can recall and apply their mathematical knowledge quickly and accurately in a range of contexts.

Maths Long Term Plan

2022-2023 Maths Long Term Plan

Maths Progression

We follow the White Rose scheme of work and their progression model.

White Rose Progression

Year Group Formal Calculation Booklets

These booklets are designed to support parent and carers understanding of the formal written calculations taught in each year group. Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher.

Year 1 Maths Calculation Booklet

Year 2 Maths Calculation Booklet

Year 3 Maths Calculation Booklet

Year 4 Maths Calculation Booklet

Years 5 and 6 Maths Calculation Booklet