MATHS
MATHS
Intent
Mathematics is an integral part of everyday life and one which will play a vital role in our children’s futures. At New Milton Infant School we strive to provide the best possible outcomes in maths for our pupils providing a foundation for understanding the world and preparing children for their next stage of their learning journey. Our vision is to provide a maths curriculum that engages and excites, whilst ensuring pupils acquire a deep, lasting, secure and adaptable understanding of maths, maximising the chances of success.
At our school, we reject the idea that some people ‘just can’t do maths’. We strive to develop mathematicians; children who can problem solve and reason; describe, explain, convince, justify and prove with an appreciation and excitement about the power of maths.
Implementation
At New Milton Infant School we follow the National Curriculum Programme of study for Mathematics. In KS1 we deliver maths through a mastery approach where children have daily opportunities to problem-solve, learn from high-quality models and representations, practise and explore with new and existing skills, apply what they know and share their reasoning. In EYFS children are introduced and exposed to maths on a daily basis through a range of structured and naturally-occurring mathematical activities including ‘Active Numbers’, ‘Snappy Maths’ and ‘Let’s Learn’. This continuous and varied fluency develops a secure understanding, allowing children to remember new mathematical skills and concepts long term.
High quality interactive teaching and purposeful, collaborative learning underpin all lessons, allowing everyone to be a mathematician. Everyday children are encouraged to explore and practise, both reinforcing pupils’ procedural fluency and developing their conceptual understanding whilst making useful connections.
Daily opportunities to develop mental strategies and rapid recall are built into our curriculum through given times outside of our maths lessons, allowing the pupils to have their ‘facts at their fingertips’ and problem-solve more efficiently.
Due to our cyclical maths curriculum, there are sufficient opportunities planned to revisit previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures as well as capturing natural learning opportunities and cross-curricular links for maths. This ensures that mathematical knowledge becomes deeply embedded so pupils can work with increasing independence, apply their mathematical knowledge to more complex concepts, and gain enjoyment through a growing self-confidence in their ability as a mathematician.
At our school, emphasis is placed on the development of deep conceptual understanding through consistent images and models as well as purposeful learning opportunities. Our mastery approach ensures procedural fluency through high quality modelling, meaningful activities, exploration and practice. This allows children to make sense of their world and the ability to make connections, deepening knowledge of concepts and procedures. Reasoning and problem solving underpin the majority of lessons, allowing our children to work collaboratively to reach a goal and enabling them to achieve confidence and adopt a growth mind-set. Teachers’ effective use of questioning, vocabulary and feedback during maths lessons ensure that children achieve the best possible outcomes and have many opportunities for challenge. The children are encouraged to use a wide range of mathematical vocabulary, enabling them to articulate their reasoning with confidence.
A highly effective Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) approach is used throughout our maths lessons, building on children’s existing knowledge and developing a deep and sustainable understanding of maths by introducing abstract concepts in a concrete and tangible way. It involves moving from concrete materials that bring the maths to life in real contexts, to pictorial representations that help children to make mental connections, to abstract symbols and calculations. Children can discover new ideas and spot the patterns, which will help them reach the answer. From beginning of their learning journey, we introduce CPA in a cyclical approach, with pictorial acting as the bridge between concrete and abstract.
The intention of these approaches is to provide children with key mathematical knowledge and skills whilst encouraging them to develop competence and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about maths.
Impact
Children at New Milton Infants School receive a high-quality maths education ensuring best possible outcomes for all. Maths at our school is a means by which staff and children can move along a mathematical learning journey together, exploring, discovering, and deepening knowledge of key ideas needed to underpin future learning. Our keen and curious mathematicians work collaboratively to explore and make links, inspiring their curiosity to be flexible and find different ways to solve problems.
Due to an engaging and purposeful maths curriculum, children are more confident and secure in their understanding, ultimately giving them a firm foundation for future learning.
Ali Reeves November 2019