Intent
In Maths our slogan is to ‘Break the limits – go beyond!’
At St Joseph’s we have a ‘Mastery’ approach to teaching and learning in Mathematics. We empower our children with a ‘CAN DO’ attitude. We encourage children to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematics and aim for all pupils to enjoy and achieve in mathematics and become confident mathematicians.
We aim that all pupils:
· Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
· Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios.
· Can reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
We believe that ability within Mathematics is not fixed. We are developing the mindset of ‘We Can’ attitude with the children. We believe that through quality first teaching, intelligent practice, children learning together and immediate intervention that all children have the potential to ‘go deeper’ and broaden their understanding of mathematical concepts.
Implementation-
Mastery teaching and learning in KS1 and KS2:
In every Mathematics lesson you will see the following:
· ‘Quality first’ teaching; tailored to meet the needs of the learners in each class, and immediate intervention by class teacher or teaching assistant to address gaps in learning where necessary.
· The vast majority of children progressing through the curriculum content at the same pace.
· Success criteria set out in a Visible Learning Grid in order to guide children to achieve success.
· Development of fluency, reasoning and problem solving.
· Teachers using high-quality questioning to explore children’s understanding and develop it further.
· The precise use of mathematical vocabulary with teachers placing a strong emphasis on the correct use of mathematical language.
· Teachers making use of misconceptions to further develop understanding of key concepts.
· Teachers using a range of methods to explore key mathematical concepts which appeal to pupils’ different styles of learning, employing concrete/pictorial/abstract representations of mathematical concepts.
To raise the profile of Maths and further engage our children as confident mathematicians we also offer a range of activities throughout the year, such as:
· Maths Event Day
· ‘St Joseph’s Got Times tables’- times table quiz
Early Years Foundation Stage
Work undertaken within the Early Years Foundation Stage is guided by both the revised Development Matters Curriculum Guidance and the statutory Early Learning Goals (ELG). All children are given ample opportunity to develop their understanding of mathematics through both adult led activities and child initiated continuous provision both inside the classroom and in the outside areas. Lessons in the early years follow a similar approach and use concrete and pictorial representations to develop an understanding of mathematics. Children are encouraged to use, enjoy, explore, practise and talk confidently about mathematics using reasoning. The children are exposed to rich problems and use practical resources like Numicon, ten frames and other concrete material to master key concepts.
Assessment
· Regular and ongoing formative assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child.
· Standards are high in Maths and teachers moderate books with colleagues on a regular basis both within St Joseph’s and with other schools within the Bishop Chadwick Trust.
· The Maths subject leader regularly carries out book scrutinies and lesson observations.
· Summative assessments take place at the end of a unit of work and the end of each term. These tests further inform teachers if a child is working at age related expectations. Children’s attainment and progress is discussed by teachers and senior leaders at termly pupil progress meetings.
· Children’s attainment and progress is discussed with parents/carers during parent’s evenings and reported in the end of year report to parents.