Maths
Intent
At Bellfield we want all pupils to have a passion for Maths. Children will be confident in their own abilities and have an understanding of maths in the real world.
We provide a rich, balanced and progressive curriculum – embedding the skills outlined in the National Curriculum Programmes of study. The mapping of mathematics across the school shows clear progression in line with age related expectations.
Our aim is to encourage children to see maths as a tool for everyday life by creating a range of practical tasks, real-life problems and contextual experiences. Through the learning activities and tasks provided, the children will experience success and develop the ability to reason mathematically.
Implementation
In addition to following the national curriculum, we use White Rose as our main approach in the teaching of mathematics.
The White Rose scheme begins in EYFS with aim being a secure understanding of numbers to 10, then moving on to 20 and beyond. They will also develop an understanding of time order, patterns and shape. As the children progress into Year 1, the progression of the knowledge from EYFS is built upon to secure their understanding of numbers to 20 to enable them to solve calculations and problems using these numbers. Through Key Stage 1 and 2, the small steps are sequenced to allow revisiting of the previous year coverage to address any gaps or misconceptions before teaching the new learning.
White Rose Maths concentrates on developing a child’s fluency, reasoning and problems solving in all areas. We follow the small steps highlighted for a child to develop their understanding in a particular area of mathematics. The progression of the small steps allow connections to be made and any gaps in a child’s understanding to be quickly identified and remedied.
To boost our times table recall speed, the pupils in KS2 also participate in Times Table Rock Stars sessions. In these short, daily sessions, children are challenged to recall as many times tables facts as possible within a set limit. We often hold inter-class and inter-school competitions to increase engagement and add another level of excitement for the children.
Key Stage 1 and 2 also have daily basic skills sessions to develop the mathematical foundations needed the correct age and stage for the child. This will incorporate recapping of basic mathematical operations, looking back at mathematical concepts and applying their previous learning to problems.
Impact
Teachers carry out formative assessments daily through their direct teaching and when looking at children’s work. This informs the following session and highlights any misconceptions the children may have. As a result, teachers plan review activities or an intervention session for those needing further support to enable the success of every child.
Our maths books show a wide range of activities that show the concrete, pictorial and abstract process through a range of activities aimed to develop the children’s fluency and problems solving.
Throughout the year, the maths lead will carry out meetings with the maths champions (children nominated by the class to represent their class), pupil voice discussions, book looks and ‘drop in’ observations to ensure the correct delivery of the curriculum and address any areas for improvement.
Quality first teaching accompanied with high expectations and challenges appropriate for the age and ability of the children, ensures all pupils become confident in their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts and progress to the next stage securely.
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