Maths
Statement of Intent
At St Stephen’s Primary school we value every pupil and the contribution they have to make. As a result we aim to ensure that every child achieves success and that all are enabled to develop theirskills in accordance with their level of ability. Mathematics is both a key skill within school, and a life skill to be utilised throughout every person’s day to day experiences. St Stephens C of E Primary Mathematics equips pupils with a uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world. These tools include logical reasoning, problem solving skills and the ability to think in abstract ways. Mathematics is important in everyday life. It is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind we endeavour to ensure that children develop a positive and
enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them. The National Curriculum for mathematics (2014) describes in detail what pupils must learn in each year group. Combined with our Calculation Policy, this ensures continuity, progression and high expectations for attainment in mathematics. We believe it is vital that a positive attitude towards mathematics is encouraged amongst all of our pupils in order to foster confidence and achievement in a skill that is essential in our society. At St Stephen’s we use the National Curriculum for Mathematics (2014) as the basis of our mathematics programme. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils achieve mastery in the key concepts of mathematics, appropriate for their age group, in order that they make genuine progress and avoid gaps in their understanding that provide barriers to learning as they move through education. Assessment for Learning, an emphasis on investigation, problem solving, the development of mathematical thinking and development of teacher subject knowledge are therefore essential components of the St Stephen’s approach to this subject.
Our aims are :
To foster a positive attitude to mathematics as an interesting and attractive part of the curriculum.
To develop the ability to think clearly and logically, with confidence, flexibility and independence of
thought.
To develop a deeper understanding of mathematics through a process of enquiry and investigation.
To develop an understanding of the connectivity of patterns and relationships within mathematics.
To develop the ability to apply knowledge, skills and ideas in real life contexts outside the classroom,
and become aware of the uses of mathematics in the wider world.
To develop the ability to use mathematics as a means of communicating ideas.
To develop an ability and inclination to work both alone and cooperatively to solve mathematical
problems.
To develop personal qualities such as perseverance, independent thinking, cooperation and selfconfidence through a sense of achievement and success.
To develop an appreciation of the creative aspects of mathematics and an awareness of its aesthetic
appeal.
Implementation
The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in mathematics during each lesson. The
pupils are taught in class groups and seated in mixed ability groups as we believe that all pupils can
attain highly in mathematics and every pupil will have different strengths and development areas.
Therefore groupings within classes are flexible and pupils will work in different groups dependent on
their need.
The large majority of pupils progress through the curriculum content at the same pace.
Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and
intervention. The questioning and scaffolding individual pupils receive in class as they work through
problems will differ and pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged through more demanding
problems which deepen their knowledge further.
Practise and consolidation play a central role to mathematics learning. Carefully designed variation
within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts in tandem.
Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual and procedural knowledge, and assess
pupils regularly to identify those requiring intervention so that all pupils keep up. Teachers ensure
that concepts are modelled to pupils using multiple representations. This ensures that procedural
and conceptual understanding are developed simultaneously
Impact
The children should
• have a well-developed sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system
(place value)
• know by heart number facts such as number bonds, multiplication tables, doubles and halves
• use what they know by heart to figure out numbers mentally
• calculate accurately and efficiently, both mentally and in writing and paper,
• drawing on a range of calculation strategies
• make sense of number problems, including non-routine/’real’ problems and identify the
operations needed to solve them