Mathematics
INTENT
The overall aim of our maths curriculum is to equip all the children at Priorslee Academy skills that will enable to independently and confidently find the solutions to every mathematical problem they are faced with in their future lives. We want them to have a security about their place in the world that is established through an increasingly accurate understanding of number and measure, as well as an ability to realistically predict the outcomes of the decisions that they make.
In order to prepare them for this, our intention is to give our students a fluent recall and understanding of the complete range of mathematical strategies that are outlined in the National Curriculum, as well as skills of mathematical reasoning, so that they will be able to select which of these they can use in order to reach the correct solution.
Going beyond this, we want to help enable our students to recognise and appreciate the order and patterns of the universe that can best be grasped with an understanding of mathematics. Our maths curriculum is designed to help children think for themselves and to notice things that others might miss, therefore our lessons give children lots of opportunities and space to think concepts through mathematically for themselves and express the conclusions that they have come to in a variety of different ways.
IMPLEMENTATION
In order to enable our children to have develop the ability to be able to swiftly recall number facts whenever they need to, at Buildwas we have a strong emphasis on practising number bonds and timetables frequently, little and often throughout the school week. Children are also strongly encouraged to do this at home and are provided with logins to the Numbots and Timetable Rock stars websites, in order to make this fun.
At Buildwas we are follow the White Rose Mathematics scheme across the school. White Rose Maths is an organisation that aims to work collaboratively with teachers across the country to improve mathematics teaching. Inspired and informed by robust, world-class research and global maths experts, the scheme aims to transform maths education and change the experience of maths forever. The white Rose approach aims to help all pupils to master mathematics.
We have devised a spiral curriculum with the aim of embedding mathematical concepts in the minds of our pupils, by revisiting and developing knowledge in different areas of maths (such as place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, measures etc) each term. We also revise learning that has been done on previous topics little and often throughout our maths lessons in order to make it easier for children to retain the information that they have previously learnt.
We believe that it is vital that children have a thorough understanding of the mathematical concepts we teach that will enable them to apply their number facts, so in our maths lessons we give many of our number problems real life contexts. When new concepts are introduced, children are often given the opportunity to practically explore them for themselves using real life concrete objects, which, as their understanding grows, will be replaced by representations such as counters and pictures. When they have mastered these they are then able to go on to work on abstract equations, equipped with a thorough understanding.
Another step that we take towards giving children a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts is to provide them with the correct vocabulary to express their thinking. Key words and stem sentences are displayed on the working walls in our classrooms and used consistently by all staff and children.
In addition to formal half termly maths assessments, the staff at Priorslee are constantly assessing children’s mathematical understanding in an informal way that enables us to plan the next bespoke steps in our lessons, moving the children on to the next step when we observe that they are ready for it. We have tailored our curriculum to suit our mixed age classes, teaching each year groups related topics at the same time as much as possible and providing differentiated activities within each year group’s tasks. Our lessons do not rigidly follow any one scheme but teachers select their own resources, (seeking inspiration from a variety of schemes such as White Rose, NCTEM, N Rich, I See Maths and Number Sense Maths) that we deem will best suit the individuals in our particular cohorts.
Our ultimate aim in Maths at Priorslee is to enable children to think deeply about mathematics for themselves and we seek to develop this skill by providing open ended questions and problems that children can solve in their own ways, selecting their own resources from the ones that we have trained them to use, then verbalising and discussing their answers with others.
IMPACT
We aim for our pupils to demonstrate deep conceptual understanding, fluency, and proficiency in applying mathematical skills to solve real-life problems. We develop a positive attitude towards Maths, showing resilience, curiosity, and confidence in tackling mathematical challenges. The impact is also reflected in pupils’ ability to reason mathematically, explain their thinking clearly, and confidently communicate mathematical ideas.
The dimensions of impact can be seen through internal monitoring, analysis of assessment data, and engagement with external benchmarks and standardized testing. Leaders and teachers use data effectively to evaluate the impact of teaching and to inform further improvements to the curriculum.
