Maths
‘Some mathematician, I believe, has said that true pleasure lies not in the discovery of truth, but in the search for it.’
Leo Tolstoy (1961)
At Treloweth Primary School, we promote a love of mathematics. We use a mastery approach to teach mathematics and embrace the idea that all children can do well in maths. Mathematics forms an integral part of every child’s daily learning experience and is taught through carefully planned small steps which support learning and encourage deep thinking. In our school, our ‘sharp focus on early mathematics ensures that pupils gain confidence, speed and proficiency when working with numbers’ (Ofsted September 2019) and the children at Treloweth School enjoy maths because it is exciting, challenging and ‘makes our brains work!’
At Treloweth we use the 5 big mastery principles of fluency, variation, reasoning, mathematical thinking, coherence representation and structure to guide our maths teaching and learning. This ensures that over time children’s learning develops and deepens so that all children ‘understand their number work’ (Ofsted 2019). Our highly skilled teachers deliver sequential bespoke maths lessons to encourage children to become “numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident” people.
All children are taught one set of mathematical concepts and the big ideas in mathematics and we recognise that all children need a deep understanding of the mathematics they are learning in order that future learning is built upon firm foundations. We have high expectations of our children and strive to make the mathematics curriculum accessible to all. Maths lessons are carefully crafted, in order to allow all pupils to access these mathematical concepts and ideas and explore the rich connections between them. Our small step comprehensive mathematics curriculum ensures that all children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics and can reason mathematically. It ensures that key understanding is embedded and that mathematical understanding is applied across the curriculum to enhance other subject areas. At Treloweth we provide high quality mathematics education which gives children a firm foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Our Maths Lead is an NCETM Primary Mastery Specialist and an NCETM Primary Maths PD Lead and is involved in leading workgroups with the local Mathshubs, this year working with schools on the NCETM Sustaining Mastery Programme.
We continue to plan using a range of high quality resources, such as the White Rose premium resources, Power Maths and Nrich, alongside the new NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation Materials (from September 2022) which outline the maths specific subject and pedagogical knowledge within the NCETM professional development materials and the DfE Non-Statutory Mathematics Guidance.
Click on the Pdfs below to see the planning overviews:
This resource outlines our coherent sequencing for the primary maths curriculum. It draws together the DfE guidance on curriculum prioritisation, with the high quality professional development and classroom resources provided by the NCETM Primary Mastery PD materials.
https://www.ncetm.org.uk/classroom-resources/cp-curriculum-prioritisation-in-primary-maths/
For each of the year groups 1-6, there is a mapping of the year’s curriculum into around a dozen units. Follow the links to the whole school and year group overviews at the bottom of the page.
Each step builds carefully from the previous step, building on pupils’ prior knowledge to develop new skills. Planning for long term memory includes regular spaced, interleaved retrieval tasks through ’Power Up’ opportunities – a question from last lesson, last week, last term, last year and regular low-stakes quizzes.
Intent
Treloweth School aims to provide pupils with a robust and coherent mathematical journey, rooted in the delivery of a high-quality curriculum, taught by highly skilled practitioners to produce competent, mathematically minded individuals who are numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. Maths enables understanding of the world, which is why we have made it an integral part of our curriculum.
Through our maths teaching, we strive for all of our pupils to become fluent in the key concepts underpinning number and to develop their mathematical reasoning by recognising relationships, making generalisations and proving their thinking using a range of appropriate mathematical vocabulary. In addition to this, we aim to give our pupils the confidence to solve mathematical problems using a range of strategies.
Treloweth School believes that mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be equipped with the skills to move between representations of mathematical ideas and concepts. The programmes of study are organised into apparently distinct domains, but our ambition is to facilitate every pupil’s ability to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop competence when solving increasingly sophisticated problems. It is our purpose to ensure that pupils are taught how to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in a range of contexts and subjects to enhance their understanding of the wider Treloweth Curriculum. At Treloweth, we foster and promote positive attitudes towards mathematics, ensuring
that pupils gain enjoyment in the subject through a growing self-confidence in their ability.
Our expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the small steps at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly (‘rapid graspers’) are offered rich and sophisticated problems that are carefully planned to include high order questioning, before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding through varied, bespoke additional practice. We believe that foundational knowledge, particularly proficiency in numbers, gives pupils the ability to progress through the curriculum at increasing rates later on, therefore we diligently focus on core knowledge early on in our pupil’s journey at our school.
Implementation
Depth of learning is a fundamental principle to our mathematics teaching at Treloweth. All children explore mathematical challenges through a range of experiences; using
manipulatives, representations and visual prompts to scaffold their understanding of mathematical ideas. Through careful planning and preparation, we aim to ensure that
throughout the school children are given opportunities for:
• daily practice of basic written and mental arithmetic to ensure fluency of number facts
• problem solving across the curriculum and real-life links in every lesson
• frequent opportunities for paired, group and whole class discussions
• open and closed tasks, providing opportunity to investigate mathematical concepts
• exploration of a range of manipulatives and representations
• development of conceptual understanding and exploration of complex problems
• daily challenge through carefully planned variation.
We use our Agreed Approach to Calculations Documents which guides our children though the four operations from EYFS to Y6. These documents support the emersion of all children in mathematics from the day they join our school and ensure that over time, children develop their competence in mathematics as we foster their ability to:
• secure number facts, such as number facts and multiplication facts
• calculate accurately and efficiently, both mentally and in written form
• competently use manipulatives and representations to access challenges
• make sense of problems, including non-routine ‘real’ problems
• develop spatial awareness and an understanding of geometry, statistics and measure.
At Treloweth we have developed our comprehensive ‘Treloweth Mathematics Curriculum’ document which provides teachers with a clear overview of what the children meet at each stage of their mathematical journey. This document supplements teacher’s planning by providing precise vocabulary, key questioning, stem sentences and signposts to the NCETM PD materials, ‘Ready to Progress’ PowerPoints and Numberblock episodes. This allows for effective recapping and reactivating of prior knowledge and skills and outlines the essential ingredients for our mathematics teaching and learning. Furthermore, we follow the small steps published by Power Maths to ensure our teaching is progressive and to provide adequate detail, giving
teachers the opportunity to develop links and embed mathematical coherence for the children.
Teachers in EYFS classes base their teaching on objectives in the ‘Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage;’ this ensures that they are working towards the ‘Early Learning Goals for Mathematics’. The children are given access to daily mathematical challenges through continuous provision and in addition, participate in adult led mathematics sessions in preparation for Year One. Explore Maths is used to promote thinking and the teachers follow the calculation policy to ensure continuity with the Key Stage One setting. They use ‘Numbersense’ to give children a good early understanding of number and Power Maths materials to support guided group work and assessment for learning.
We use manipulatives in all year groups as a useful tool to support children’s deep acquisition of concepts and representations in mathematics and understand the importance of moving the children from these to more visual and written recordings at the earliest possible opportunity so that they can begin to independently internalise key mathematical ideas.
Throughout the whole curriculum, opportunities are planned to teach, extend and promote rich understanding of mathematics. Teachers seek to take advantage of all opportunities through cross curricular mathematical challenges.
The approach to the teaching of mathematics within Treloweth School is based on five key principles:
• a minimum of on hour daily mathematics lesson to focus on place value, number, calculations and GSM
• small step learning which builds on children’s prior knowledge and skills
• a clear focus on expert direct, instructional teaching and interactive oral work with the whole class and mixed ability pairs
• an emphasis on developing and strengthening mental calculation, through practice and application opportunities
• a commitment to embedding the mastery approach, whereby all children have access to and experience of, first quality teaching of their year group’s learning intentions to include daily challenge (Greater Depth Mastery Challenges- GDMCs).
Teachers deliver our small step maths curriculum to ensure development of children’s learning takes place over time and that the curriculum is covered systematically. Teachers’ planning is supported by high quality text books such as ‘Maths No Problem’ and ‘Power Maths,’ which are used to enhance teaching and learning. Additional materials produced by ‘Numbersense’ and the NCETM are also used to support and guide teaching and learning.
Please click on the Pdf below to view our Maths policies:
Agreed_Approach_to_Calculation
At a glance
• National curriculum guiding principles inform year group subject mapping documents
• Mathematics is mapped across year groups in small sequential steps and end points identified (to know, do and experience)
• Daily lesson, 1 hour minimum
• Treloweth Mathematics Curriculum plots sequential small steps
• Lessons activate prior knowledge, introduce, use and apply specific vocabulary, learning is demonstrated practically
• Planning resources include: Ready to Progress materials, NCTEM PD materials, PowerMaths, White Rose, Enrich, Third Space Learning
• Information for parents can be found in ½ term overviews
• Examples of work can be found in newsletters and on display
• Links to other subjects include: history, science, art, English, geography, DT, music, technology
Please use the links below to help support your child at home:
https://mathsnoproblem.com/en/parent-videos/
https://login.mathletics.com/
A list of useful Mathematics based websites for Parents and Pupils
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ – follow the links to the correct Key stage: Years 5 and 6 are KS2, Years 7 and 8 are KS3 – this website is very useful for revision
www.mathszone.co.uk – Useful website with hundreds of links to other websites – most resources are for KS2 with some for KS3
www.supermathsworld.com – Maths games website aimed at mostly KS2 pupils – pupils can log in as a guest or create an account
www.coolmath.com – Maths games website for pupils with links to lots of other sister websites such as coolmaths4kids.com
www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2numeracy.html – Free online maths games resources for KS2 pupils
www.educationquizzes.com/ks3/ – KS3 revision website – there is a parents as well as a pupil info section – click on the maths link on the left hand side – some resources are free but a login and password need to be set up to access the majority of resources
www.educationquizzes.com/ks2/ – Similar to the KS3 version above – there is also a parents info section as well
www.free-training-tutorial.com/ordering-numbersgam… – A maths games website (with some links to typing practice as well) mostly suitable for KS2 pupils and perhaps some KS3 pupils
Parents’ Area
Maths Support for Parents
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/welcome/for-home/maths…
Maths | Oxford Owl
Oxford Owl Maths supports you with your children’s maths throughout their primary years. You’ll find a whole host of activities, simple ideas, top tips and eBooks …
‘ Oxford Owl Maths – including an online maths dictionary The Oxford University Press have developed this site to support parents in helping their children with mathematics. You’ll find lots of advice and support, games and activity ideas for how best to help your child develop as a mathematician. There’s also information on what is taught in primary school maths lessons, and what some of the ‘jargon’ means!’