At St. Teresa’s it is our intention to provide a foundation for understanding the world from a mathematical perspective. To appreciate the beauty and power of mathematics, and gain a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We want our children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas, to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts.  We take a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Fundamentally, this rests on the belief that all children can – and indeed must, be successful in the study of mathematics. We do not accept that ‘some people cannot do maths’, or that prior attainment should limit what a child is capable of learning. Mathematics is for everyone. The aim of our curriculum is to develop skills of perseverance and resilience, with the key thought being that a mistake is the opportunity to learn something new

Planning

We plan our learning with a mastery approach to the curriculum which means children spend far longer on fewer key mathematical concepts whilst working at greater depth. We aim for children to be fluent in the basic maths concepts by using varied fluency activities to start lessons. An arithmetic session at the start of every day further embeds these basic concepts. The mastery curriculum for primary schools places problem solving at the heart of mathematics with the main aim that every child can learn to solve sophisticated problems in an unfamiliar context. To enable them to achieve this, children must develop their conceptual understanding, mathematical thinking and use of mathematical language. This is where fluency and reasoning join together. We currently use White Rose as a basis for planning throughout KS1 and 2 and adapt these plans to suit the needs of our children. Children in EYFS are exposed to a wide range of mathematical experiences which form the basis of our approach to mastery teaching and learning.

Meeting Children’s Needs

At St. Teresa’s we aim to ensure that all children move together through the learning in order to avoid gaps forming in their understanding. Long term gaps in learning are prevented through speedy teacher intervention and those children who grasp concepts more quickly are given opportunities to deepen their knowledge and improve their reasoning skills rather than accelerating on to new curriculum content. The National Curriculum states that children should become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent practice. Fluency gives children the ability to delve deeper into maths; to develop number sense and choose the most appropriate method for the task at hand; to be able to apply a skill to multiple contexts.

Children’s work and Feedback

The learning that can be seen in children’s books will demonstrate a range of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Recording in books may include; worksheets, photographs, written working out (CPA examples) and other educational sources. Teachers endeavour to mark children’s work within the lesson and give oral feedback at the point of learning.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out in several ways. Formative assessment takes place in every lesson and is an integral component to our mastery approach. Self-assessment at the end of lesson part one, assists this process and allows teachers to focus on challenging all our children. We carry out summative assessments at key points in the year within our school’s monitoring and evaluating cycle. NFER progress tests allow teachers to measure attainment and progress while also preparing children to positively engage in and complete regular summative testing (KS1 and KS2 SATs).

Our Maths Subject Leader is Mr Nightingale.

National Primary Curriculum Mathematics

NEW NC RTP 2024

WRM Calculation Policy 2024 All Year Groups