Maths at St Thomas'
Intent - Our vision for Maths
Maths is the foundation for understanding the world around us. The basic skills of mathematics are vital for the life opportunities of our pupils. At St Thomas’, we believe learning how to be a mathematician should be fun, rewarding and achievable for all pupils. Our aim is to develop our pupils’ ability to reason mathematically, problem solve and develop procedural fluency and conceptual understanding in each strand of the curriculum. We intend to deliver a curriculum that allows pupils to be part of engaging lessons; allowing them to explore maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their workings. It is important to us to develop confident mathematicians who are resilient in their learning and feel safe to take risks as they develop their skills.
Implementation - How we plan for, and teach Maths
At St Thomas’, we use White Rose Maths as the sequenced, progressive framework for our mastery approach to the delivery of maths, which is based on the National Curriculum. Lessons are personalised to address the individual needs and requirements for a class but coverage is maintained. White Rose use ‘small steps’ to break down the teaching sequence into small, achievable steps, which supports pupils to develop the necessary skills to become ‘deep thinkers.’ For those who understand a concept quicker, challenges are used to deepen and further challenge pupils. To enrich our pupils’ maths diet, the use of White Rose Maths is supplemented by a range of other resources such as ISeeReasoning, NCETM, Nrich and Classroom Secrets.
We implement our approach through high quality teaching; delivering appropriately challenging work for all pupils. In all year groups, pupils witness teachers modelling how to reason and solve problems, with a focus on the language of explanation. Correct mathematical vocabulary is used by all teachers and this is discussed with and explained to the pupils who are then encouraged to use it independently when talking about maths. Vocabulary is displayed clearly on working walls and referred to in lessons. Pupils are expected to demonstrate arithmetical proficiency, justify their thinking and explain what they have done. Teachers model that having a positive attitude to maths, alongside the determination to not be defeated by an incorrect answer, allows for learning to take place for all pupils.
Years 1 to 6 begin the year by studying number, with an emphasis on place value. This is vital in primary school maths as it is intrinsically linked to many other areas of maths; a solid understanding of place value is vital in order to allow children to competently add, subtract, multiply and divide amongst other things.
As a school, we believe in the importance of following the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach as a means to developing a solid understanding and knowledge of mathematical concepts. These can be applied in a variety of contexts through reasoning and problem-solving challenges. When pupils have grasped a concept using concrete equipment, images and diagrams are used (pictorial) prior to moving to abstract questions. To support teaching, we have a range of mathematical resources in classrooms including Numicon, Base 10 and counters.
Times tables play an important part in our maths learning, with pupils developing their fluency and knowledge in rapid recall of tables up to 12 x 12 by the end of Year 4. While the rapid recall of times tables are being developed, pupils are also learning how to apply and manipulate their understanding of this to reason and solve problems. Pupils from Years 3 to 6 have the opportunity to consolidate and apply their times tables knowledge during times tables tests every Friday morning.
As a staff we continually strive to better ourselves and engage in training opportunities, support each other and share good practice.
Parents are kept-informed about progress through parents’ evenings and have the option to join teacher-led sessions on how to support children prior to undertaking the Multiplication Tables Check and Year 6 SATs.
Impact - How we evaluate learning in Maths
In daily teaching, assessment is incorporated throughout the lesson through live and verbal feedback. Summative assessments are completed at the end of each term using White Rose Maths Assessments (Year 1), NFER (Years 3 to 5) and SATs papers (Years 2 and 6).
As a core subject, we report data for maths at the following points:
· EYFS Baseline
· Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check
· Year 6 SATs
By the time they leave St Thomas’, pupils know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely upon in many areas of their daily life. We aspire that pupils will have developed a bank of efficient and accurate skills, alongside mathematical knowledge that can be used to calculate effectively. We want all of our pupils to feel confident enough to “have a go” and be resilient problem-solvers. Pupils will be equipped with the mathematical tools to prepare them for the next step in their education and life in the wider world.
Useful Links and Further Guidance for Parents and Carers
Below are a number of links to websites that can support you and your children with their mathematical journey at St. Thomas’.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/ordering-and-sequencing
https://www.mathshed.com/en-gb
https://whiteroseeducation.com/1-minute-maths
https://whiteroseeducation.com/parent-pupil-resources/maths/free-downloads
https://whiteroseeducation.com/parent-pupil-resources/maths/maths-with-michael
https://whiteroseeducation.com/resources/digital-tools
https://nrich.maths.org/parents
Thank you for your continued support in mathematics.