Maths
Maths Intent, implementation and impact statement.
Intent
Why do we teach this? Why do we teach it in the way we do?
We strongly believe that all children can succeed at mathematics. Our staffing equation:
a positive mind-set + strong subject knowledge = a love of learning and a resilience that enables everyone to achieve.
Mathematics is an important creative discipline that helps us to understand and change the world. We want all pupils at St Mary’s Primary School to experience the beauty, power and enjoyment of mathematics and develop a sense of curiosity about the subject with a clear understanding. At St Mary’s we foster positive can do attitudes and we promote the fact that ‘We can all do maths!’ We believe all children can achieve in mathematics, and teach for secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through manageable steps. We use mistakes and misconceptions as an essential part of learning and provide challenge through rich and sophisticated problems. At our school, the majority of children will be taught the content from their year group only. They will spend time becoming true masters of content, applying and being creative with new knowledge in multiple ways.
Through our programme of study for Maths, we strive to develop learners to have a passion for Maths by enabling children to:
- Use and understand the four mathematical operations and see connections between them
- Perform written and mental calculations and mathematical techniques with fluency by using and applying their mathematical skills
- Know number facts by heart and use their knowledge of number facts and the number system when calculating and problem solving
- Show initiative in solving problems in a wide range of contexts, including real-life ones
- Think independently and to persevere when faced with challenges, tackling a problem by looking at what they ‘do know’ and to embrace the value of learning from mistakes and false starts, show resilience
- Reason, generalise and make sense of solutions
- Use a wide range of mathematical vocabulary
- Show a commitment to and passion for the subject
Implementation
What do we teach? What does this look like?
Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Children are taught Mathematics for approximately 1 hour daily (an extra 30 minute session has been accommodated within the timetable to allow children to catch up as a result of COVID-19 with a focus on arithmetic and securing missed content understanding). Support is determined during each lesson to ensure secure understanding based on the needs of the child. Challenge is visible throughout the whole session, where children are asked to reason and prove their understanding at a deeper secure level.
Impact
What will this look like? By the time children leave our school they will:
By the end of KS2 we aim for children to be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics with a conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. They should have the skills to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of situations with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios. Children will be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.