Maths

Mathematics lessons at Pluckley Church of England Primary school support the young people in our care to become:

• Resilient and ambitious children who strive for outstanding outcomes, who use their initiative and are unafraid of making mistakes.
  • Mathematics is celebrated as a subject where, although there is often one correct answer, there are often multiple ways of reaching it. We encourage our children to be ambitious – to explore the mathematics and to look for the alternative and creative solutions to problems. During this process, we expect that children will make mistakes; we teach the children to analyse and learn from them, justifying and explaining the process as they do it.
• Successful learners with a thirst for knowledge who are curious and self-motivated to learn and achieve.
  • We create mathematics lessons which include the opportunity to question, to explain and to develop a deep mathematical vocabulary. During lessons, rather than simply focusing on questions and answers, we foster an environment where children are encouraged and supported to clearly articulate their ideas, thoughts and reasoning processes – all of which promote a deeper understanding.
• Young people with a strong spiritual foundation who thrive by embodying our REFLECT values in all that they think, say and do.
  • Mathematics lessons regularly provide opportunities for pupils to embody our REFLECT values: from showing endeavour as they work through a particularly difficult problem to demonstrating cooperation as they work with their peers through group discourse. Our pupils trust each other, work collaboratively and are given opportunities to show leadership as their knowledge and understanding progresses. Respect is a key component of our mathematics lessons; incorrect answers and ideas are celebrated and discussed – the willingness to ‘have a go’ is celebrated by all.
• Well-rounded individuals who have a range of strategies to support positive mental health; enabling them to live fulfilled and happy lives.
  • Mathematics gives our pupils an opportunity to be stretched and challenged in a safe and nurturing environment. Pupils of all abilities are encouraged to become intrinsically motivated to do their best – striving for the solution to problems. We teach the children strategies and give them support when the solution seems just out of reach. Over time, our children become more adept at using these strategies independently and are able to transfer these skills into other areas of their lives.
• Confident, responsible individuals who have a strong sense of community and strive to make a positive contribution in their future role in the 21st Century and beyond.
  • Within our mathematics lessons, children are encouraged to support each other, to contribute to conversations both whole class and group and to understand that other people’s views and opinions are to be valued. Collaborative working is encouraged – we celebrate when teamwork results in positive outcomes for all involved – developing a sense of pride in their achievements.

At Pluckley, Mathematics is taught daily. We follow the National Curriculum using the White Rose Maths sequence of learning. To help structure and plan our lessons, we use the White Rose Maths scheme of learning which ensures firm foundations and sequences our learning. Alongside the White Rose Maths scheme, we use a range of rich resources to enhance our lessons and deepen understanding from websites such as NCETM and Nrich.

Through the use of White Rose Maths, we offer an ambitious curriculum for all pupils which is carefully planned and sequenced from the very beginning in our EYFS class through to preparing our pupils to leave us in at the end of Year 6. Children in EYFS also follow the White Rose Maths sequence of learning following 'Development Matters' - guidance in the Early Years.

We recognise the importance of early mathematics and its role in underpinning all mathematical understanding that follows. Alongside our normal maths lessons we also teach ‘Mastering Number’ sessions to all children in EYFS and KS1. These sessions are designed to strengthen our children’s understanding of early number and the additive relationship of numbers. Our aim is to provide our children with the automaticity, rapid recollection and confidence with basic number facts e.g. subitising, number bonds within 20, odd and even, addition and subtraction, enabling our children to enter KS2 with these key fundamental strategies solidified within their long-term memory.

Following on from this, we have introduced ‘Mastering Number for KS2’ into our KS2 classrooms. This programme builds on the work done previously and develops the children’s knowledge and understanding of the multiplicative relationship. Our aim is to provide our children with a deep foundation in this area; something that is then built on during our studies of other mathematical areas.

Across the school, mathematical concepts are taught in blocks so that skills can be embedded, developed and mastered. Throughout the teaching of these blocks, our ‘connect’ phase of lessons allows us to show pupils where their current learning is situated between core knowledge and skills that they have previously learnt and those that they will be learning in the future. The ‘spaced learning’ phase of our lessons ensure that previously taught concepts are revisited regularly to ensure secure knowledge that is retained in the long-term memory. This is supported by our daily arithmetic practice – ‘Fluent Five’ – which focuses on the practice and retention of key arithmetic skills and concepts.

Within lessons, we use a structured approach to learning; specifically chosen questions are provided which build on and develop pupils learning as well as challenging their thinking. Pupils are able to practice their skills; firstly, becoming fluent in calculations before moving on to reasoning and problem-solving questions in order to apply (and secure) their skills further.

Throughout lessons, pupils will work in groups, with learning partners and independently – at all times giving learners the thinking time they need to develop their own ideas and discuss them openly (Williams, 2021); ensuring they develop the skills to clarify their understanding for others and themselves. The understanding of the 'how's' and 'why's' is extremely important; we utilise a 'deepening understanding' approach to encourage children to develop the skills of metacognition which in turn enables them to clearly communicate their thoughts and ideas. Rather than simply focusing on questions and answers, we aim to develop an environment where children are able to have wider conversations about maths. For example, by asking learners to explain how they arrived at an answer and discussing this with them (Sylva et. Al 2020).

Understanding the four rules of number, and the core knowledge and skills that go with this, is the foundation of our implementation. Teachers follow a clear progression of core knowledge and skills throughout the curriculum which ensure that children are both fluent and confident by the end of Year 6.

We believe in using many different ways of teaching concepts and these all begin with a ‘concrete’ visual or practical approach. (e.g. EYFS children look for the number 3 in the classroom and outside, and explore in their home environment. They make 3 using many different concrete apparatuses, then see 3 in many visual representations.) The children in Key Stage 1 build upon these initial concepts and begin to look at formal methods alongside practical/visual work and modelling. Throughout Key Stage 2, children use different concrete materials such as ten frames, place value counters, dice and playing cards to embed and secure their knowledge and understanding of a range of mathematical concepts.

Throughout their time at Pluckley, children learn specific mathematical vocabulary – this is highlighted and taught specifically during lessons and is also embedded through cross curricular application.

Teachers use formative assessment to evaluate the learning during a lesson. They may ask questions to check understanding, or scrutinise independent work in order to identify common misconceptions or share thinking. Such assessment allows teachers the flexibility to intervene in a lesson to remind, redirect or reteach pupils as required.

At Pluckley we understand that the majority of pupils will be able to move through our programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress are always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Where pupils have grasped concepts rapidly, they are challenged through a range of rich and sophisticated problems – designed to develop their understanding, reasoning and explanation skills - before there is any acceleration through new content. If there are pupils who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material, they are given opportunities to consolidate their understanding, often through additional practice, before moving on.

A mathematical concept or skill has been mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations.

Formal termly summative assessments, supported by written NTS tests or past SATs tests, allow teachers to evaluate how individuals, groups and the class as a whole are progressing compared to national expectations. They also give an excellent opportunity to see what concepts may need to be given additional time, and to adjust planning accordingly. Additionally, they give the Maths Leader the opportunity to see where strengths and weaknesses lie, where additional support needs to be focused and what training requirements there are.

Alongside this, the teaching of maths throughout the school is also monitored through the deep dive process of book and planning scrutinies, learning walks and through the use of pupil and staff voice.