"Mathematics reveals its secret only to those who

approach it with love, for its own beauty.”

Archimedes

The National Curriculum

The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all children:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that children have conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately
• Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Intent

At Bevois Town Primary School, we believe that all pupils should acquire a deep conceptual understanding of the fundamental principles in Mathematics. Maths is an integral part of everyday life and it provides a foundation for understanding the world around us.

We intend for our children to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems, so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. Pupils will learn maths skills and identify connections between strands of mathematics.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that our children learn maths skills whilst also identifying connections between different strands of mathematics teach children to make rich connections across strands of mathematics to develop fluency, reasoning and competence with increasingly sophisticated problems. 

We will equip our pupils with the essential knowledge and skills needed to make choices in later life, become financially literate and access forms of employment. We prepare them for a future filled with both excitement and uncertainty. Our children will need to be flexible and may choose to pursue jobs that don’t currently exist. As well as developing their mathematical knowledge, we need to nurture resilience, promote a love of learning and foster a sense of enjoyment and curiosity.

Implementation

To help us achieve this aim, our Maths curriculum is based on the ‘mastery approach’ to teaching and learning. This approach is underpinned by the NCETM’s five big ideas:

1. Representations and structure: Teachers use CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approaches to help pupils understand mathematical structures and make powerful mental connections. Mathematical representations are introduced in a timely and systematic way to ensure progression across the school.  
2. Fluency: There are high expectations for pupils to learn multiplication facts, key age-related facts and develop ‘number sense’. Pupils also learn to how to use mathematical procedures flexibly and efficiently.  
3. Coherence: Lessons are broken down into small, inter-connected steps that gradually unfold key concepts. This enables the children to see where they are in their learning journey, what came before and where the learning is going next.
4. Mathematical thinking: Our pupils come from diverse linguistic backgrounds. We help them communicate their mathematical ideas through the use of STEM sentences, whole class chanting and shared definitions. Taught ideas are not passively received; teachers encourage children to make connections, spot patterns and relationships and discuss concepts with their peers.     
5. Variation: Maths is a highly-interconnected discipline and pupils should be able to move fluently between different mathematical representations. Pupils are given regular opportunities to apply their knowledge in different contexts. Teachers use varied representations to draw pupils’ attention to the critical aspects of each mathematical concept and to help them develop a deep and holistic understanding.  

Curriculum design & planning:

• As a school, we use the White Rose Schemes of learning as a starting point to help us develop coherent learning journeys (‘S’ plans). These plans outline the broad objectives (WALT statements) for each unit of work. S plans are written using child-friendly language so pupils can track their journey and reflect on their progress. S plans are also displayed in classrooms so the journey is clear to everyone. 

• Objectives (WALT statements) are broken down into a series of smaller steps to help pupils make connections and build on their prior knowledge. Teachers use additional resources like Power Maths and the NCETM Mastery Materials to help them identify each small step.   

Lesson structure:

• Teachers plan whole class inputs to encourage deep thinking and discussion.
• Teachers highlight the links between concrete apparatus, pictorial representations and abstract/symbolic notation. Children are encouraged to represent their ideas in as many ways as possible so they fully understand concepts and can link them to other strands of Mathematics.
• Repetition of key ideas helps embed new vocabulary (talk partners, whole class chanting). This provides pupils with a shared language to help them communicate mathematically.   Maths Subject Leaders have created a ‘Bevois Town Maths Dictionary’. Teachers use this at the point of planning to ensure consistent use of terms and definitions across the school. As they progress from year to year, pupils will have embedded these precise mathematical terms into their long memories. Instead of re-introducing key terms, teachers should be able to focus on deepening pupils understanding.
• Stem sentences may be used to highlight key learning points e.g. ‘If you divide by two, you are multiplying by 1/2’. Children are encouraged to make further generalisations e.g. ‘If you divide by ________, you are multiplying by _________.’
• Key questions are planned in advance to challenge pupils and check their understanding. Making comparisons and links helps pupils deepen their knowledge of jet concepts. The following questions are often used: How do you know? Can you prove it? What’s the same/different? Teachers encourage pupils to answer in full sentences as we believe this develops their ability to reason and make connections. 
• We do not group pupils by ability unless they require a bespoke learning journey. Pupils sit in mixed ability groups for the majority of lessons.

Resources and manipulatives are used by all children to help them understand mathematical structures. We use apparatus to scaffold the learning but we also plan when to remove these so that children do not become reliant on them as a calculation method.

Inclusion:

At Bevois Town, we encourage a growth mind-set towards Mathematics in all our pupils. Carefully scaffolded learning tasks, practical experiences and small-steps planning will allow all pupils to shine and experience success regardless of their starting points. The expectation is that most pupils will move through each unit at broadly the same pace. Pupils with SEND may need entirely bespoke learning journeys. Teachers may also plan ‘diversions’ along the main S plan to help ‘plug the gaps’ for new joiners and individuals who may need additional time to consolidate their understanding. Teachers and support staff strive to offer same day interventions to ensure misconceptions are addressed in a timely fashion. Pupils who grasp concepts quickly are given tasks to deepen their knowledge and improve their reasoning skills. 

Impact

Our approach to teaching maths allows all children to achieve through engaging and challenging maths lessons. Carefully planned small steps allow children to master the different areas of maths and apply their knowledge independently to a range of problem solving tasks with differing complexity. 

Both KS1 and KS2 data is in line with National expectations. Progress from KS1 to KS2 is above average.

Additional Information

Homework and Online Resources

Bevois Town is committed to providing children with many different opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of Maths. As a school, we have purchased annual subscriptions to the following online platforms: Timetable Rockstars/ Numbots, Mathletics and SATs Companion (Year 6 children only). These resources are incorporated at times within lessons and set for homework each day, depending on the year group.

All KS1/KS2 set regular online or physical homework to be completed as deemed appropriate by the class teacher. Teachers may offer additional resources for home learning and maths tasks if children need.