Pittington Primary School

Mathematics Curriculum Intent

Our Maths Lead is: Mr Wright

Our Maths Link Governor is: Mrs Harland

Mathematics is not made up of stand-alone areas, rather it is an interconnected web of concepts and understanding. It is crucial to everyday life, to science, technology and engineering, and vital for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the wonder and power of mathematics, and a sense of fun and curiosity about the subject.

At Pittington Primary School, we are committed to providing a high-quality mathematics education which educates, excites and engages all pupils including children with special educational needs, disadvantaged and gifted and talented. This is supported by different activities across the curriculum such as science and technology by also computing and music and our whole school ‘Problem solving maths day” ensuring maths has the highest possible profile across the school.

We want children to become independent problem solvers who show competence in solving sophisticated problems. Our pupils should take risks in their learning and challenge themselves. We strive to develop their ability to make rich connections within the mathematics programme of study, the whole school curriculum and the wider world. We aim to provide opportunities for our more able mathematicians to be stretched appropriately and offer a platform of support for children who are working below age related expectation to make accelerated progress, ensuring that basic numeracy skills are not overlooked. We endeavour to develop an enthusiastic, creative and resilient attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Mathematics in the Early Years Foundation stage

We follow the ‘EYFS Development Matters 2022’ framework at Pittington Primary. Our approach in Reception has an emphasis on studying key skills of number, calculation and shape so that pupils develop deep understanding and the acquisition of mathematical language.  Pupils learn through whole class teaching, games and tasks using concrete manipulatives which are then rehearsed and applied to their own learning during exploration. Nursery pupils begin to develop these key skills during daily carpet sessions where they explore sorting, quantities, shape, number and counting awareness.  These early mathematical experiences are carefully designed to help pupils remember the content they have been taught and to support them with integrating their new knowledge across the breadth of their experiences and into larger concepts.

By the end of EYFS we expect that children should be able to Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number and subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5 as well as solving real world mathematic problems with these numbers. We expect all children to be able to automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 aspire for all to recall number bonds to 10 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts. Children will be able to verbally count beyond 20 although we aspire for numbers beyond this, recognising the pattern of the counting system. Children will also compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity, Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally. Children will be able to talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes (for example, circles, rectangles, triangles and cuboids) using informal and mathematical language: ‘sides’, ‘corners’; ‘straight’, ‘flat’, ‘round’.

We also expect children to use everyday language to talk about and compare size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve real world problems. They will be able to recognise, create and describe repeating patterns in pictorial and concrete shapes and pictures. Children will be able to compose and decompose shapes so that they recognise a shape can have other shapes within it, just as numbers can. Beyond this, children will also explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

Mathematics at Key Stage 1 Our aim is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. They should be able to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Pupils should also be able to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, volume/capacity, time and money. By the end of key stage two children should also be familiar with their 2, 5 and 10 x tables, providing a springboard for development in Key Stage 2.

Mathematics at Years 3 and 4 there is an emphasis on ensuring that our pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. They will develop their ability to solve accurately a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. By the end of Lower Key Stage 2, our pupils should be secure in their recall of their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 times table. Pupils will develop their ability to draw shapes with increasing accuracy and use mathematical reasoning to enable them to analyse shapes and their properties whilst confidently describing the relationships between them. They should be using measuring instruments with accuracy, making connections between measure and number.

Mathematics at Years 5 and 6 A key focus for pupils in Years 5 and 6 is extending their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers, developing their ability to make connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. We expect the children to further develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation are also being developed. With this firm understanding in arithmetic, our pupils are introduced to the language of algebra as a way of solving a variety of problems. Further developing their skills, our pupils should consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number during their work on geometry and measures. Pupils should be able to classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and have a secure knowledge of the vocabulary they need to describe them. By the end of year 6, pupils ought to be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.

Long Term Aim of Mathematics:

By the time our pupils leave Year 6 we aim to ensure that their skills reflect the expectation of the national curriculum and they will:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply 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.
• 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.

Implementation

At Pittington Primary we follow the national curriculum in mathematics and underpin this with a secure understanding of the curriculum areas for all teaching staff. Maths is delivered for one hour, five times per week.

Our approach to delivering a creative and high-quality mathematics curriculum is through carefully linked assessment and teaching.

In Years 3-6 in the autumn term, children are given formative pre-unit assessments in each of the subject areas of mathematics from their previous year group expectations before teaching commences. This is to identify any gaps in knowledge and understanding that has been brought about through the disruption caused by the pandemic in recent years. In the summer term, teachers in year 3-6 use a formative pre-assessment of questions from their current year group to ascertain any gaps in knowledge and understanding. This assessment includes questions and problems that meet each of the national curriculum objectives to be taught in that unit. Teachers then use the in depth understanding of each individual’s understanding gained through these assessments to judge if children are in need of particular support or greater depth challenge in an area. Further marking and feedback provides teachers with summative assessment understanding in each of these objectives. End of year summative assessment using NFER assessments in years 1,3,4 & 5 provide further information for teachers who also provide judgements on children’s current stage of development to our central data in the autumn, spring and summer term.

Through the ongoing pre-unit assessments, our carefully planned curriculum allows all of our pupils to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics by extending the focus time spent on place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division at the start to each new academic year. This enables them to explain and reason mathematically by using and applying their mathematical understanding, whilst building upon previously learned skills. The order in which children encounter different units of learning are carefully sequenced so all children can access new units, building on the skills developed beforehand.

All staff meet with the class teacher of their next class at the end of each academic year and share assessment information and discuss children’s particular needs to make sure a smooth transition and rapid commencement of further progress the next academic year.

The mathematics lead attends external CPD and feeds back to staff accordingly. All staff also attend CPD at school delivered by the mathematics subject leader. The subject leader also monitors that there is quality and thorough curriculum coverage in books, teaching through drop ins and ensure that the skills being taught in each year group mirror the national curriculum and follow the sequencing of our whole school plan.

Impact

Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recollection of the times table.

Children show confidence in Believing that they will achieve and resilience when problems are encountered.

Each child achieves objectives (expected standard) for year group.

The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of maths.

The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons.

Mathematical concepts or skills are 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. 

Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work

Role of the Subject Leader

The role of the Subject Leader is to provide leadership and direction for their subject area and ensure that it is managed and organised to meet the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum as well as those of the school. The Subject Leader, in conjunction with the Senior Leadership Team, has the responsibility for securing high standards of teaching and learning in their subject area as well as playing a major role in the development of school policy and practice. Throughout their monitoring activities, the Subject Leader ensures that practices improve the quality of education provided, meet the needs of all children, raise standards of achievement across the school as well as raising the aspirations of all children. The Subject Leader should liaise with the SENCO to ensure that children with special educational needs are able to fulfil their full potential within the curriculum.

The Subject Leader plays a key role in supporting and motivating teachers, and other staff, across the school. Subject Leaders assist the Senior Leadership Team to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning to inform future priorities and targets for the subject area. The Subject Leader should lead by example, by setting high standards in their own teaching.

Subject Leaders are allocated time to monitor their subject areas. These times include staff meeting time, twilight CPD sessions and non-contact time within the school day. Monitoring activities include:

Observing lessons

Learning walks

Work samples

Talking to staff

Talking to pupils

Monitoring planning

Analysing data

Monitoring displays – this includes wall displays, Learning Journeys

Auditing resources

Questionnaire

External review from an eternal professional

The Subject Leader identifies needs in their own subject area and recognises that these must be considered in relation to the overall needs of the school. The Subject Leader must understand how their subject area contributes to whole school priorities and to the overall education and achievements of all pupils. There are opportunities throughout the year for Subject Leaders to discuss the strengths and weaknesses within their subject areas to a governor who is specially linked to the subject area as well as meeting with the Curriculum Committee.

Equality Statement

Pittington Primary School is committed to giving all of our pupils every equal opportunity in all aspects of school life.  Our aim is to offer an inclusive curriculum that is relevant and adapted to the needs and abilities of all pupils.  We ensure inclusive opportunities for raising self-esteem and celebrating success so that all learners can reach their true full potential.

At Pittington Primary School we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers irrespective of race, religion, gender, disability, belief, sexual orientation, age or socio-economic background.  We provide an environment which enables every pupil to feel safe, encourages good health and wellbeing, and promotes relationships that are trustful and respectful.  We believe that every teacher is a teacher of all children including those with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) and it is our duty to value each individual child to enable them to enjoy learning through an inclusive curriculum.  It is our aim to continue to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity, where all children have the ability to participate fully in school life, and where children are confident learners both for now and for their futures. 

We tackle any type of discriminatory behaviour or prejudice through the positive promotion of equality, by challenging bullying and stereotypes and by creating an environment which champions respect for all.  We provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. We work in partnership with parents, carers, staff, governors and local services within our community to prepare children from Pittington Primary School for life in a diverse society.  We believe that diversity is a strength, which should be reflected and celebrated by all who learn, teach and visit Pittington Primary School.

Fundamental British Values

British Values is defined by the Department for Education as:

• Respect for democracy and support or participation in the democratic process
• Respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies to England
• Support for equality of opportunity for all
• Support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
• Respect for and tolerance of difference faiths and religious and other beliefs

At Pittington Primary School, we ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and permeate the ethos and work of the school. The curriculum provides a vehicle for furthering and deepening an understanding of these concepts.

We actively encourage the children at our school to be unique, creative, independent and open-minded individuals who respect themselves and others in our school, the local community and across the wider world.

Our aim is to nurture our children on their journey through primary school so that they can grow into caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who can, and will make, a positive difference to society across Britain and the world.