Maths

Maths at Little Kingshill

“Mathematics equips pupils with a uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world.  It is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary 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 beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.”

(The National Curriculum 2014)

The new national curriculum, which came into effect from September 2014, is underpinned by the concept of mastery. The backbone of Mastery of Mathematics at Little Kingshill Combined School is taught through the Power Maths programme.

Our Aim

Intent

At Little Kingshill Combined School, we intend for our pupils to confidently use mathematical knowledge, language and reasoning to encourage deeper thinking, discussion and seek connections to other subjects and the wider world.   

We want to make sure that pupils develop to their fullest capabilities, not only the mathematical skills and understanding required for later life, but also an enthusiasm and fascination about maths itself. Following a ‘mastery’ approach, our aim is to develop resilient learners, who value mistakes as a learning opportunity to continue to challenge themselves. Teaching is represented through a concrete, pictorial and abstract approach to represent learning in different ways and ensure that children are secure in their understanding and fluency.  

In our teaching of mathematics at Little Kingshill Combined School we aim to:

• ensure that all pupils are working at age related expectations
• encourage pupils to enjoy mathematics
• enable pupils to have opportunities for mathematical thinking and discussion
• enable pupils to talk confidently about what they are doing in mathematics
• increase pupils’ confidence in maths so they are able to express themselves and their ideas using the language of maths
• promote an enjoyment and enthusiasm for mathematics
• ensure numeracy skills are developed as well as a confidence to work mentally
• provide opportunities for pupils to demonstrate and use their mathematics
• give pupils opportunities to use mathematics in everyday situations
• give pupils opportunities to be creative and imaginative in their use of mathematics
• help pupils to understand that mathematics is a powerful tool for communication
• help pupils recognise that mathematics is a search for pattern and relationship
• instil a fascination for mathematics and the manipulation of numbers
• encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning
• provide a role-model by using mathematics for practical purposes, organisational and administrative tasks
• continually improve the teaching, learning and experiences of mathematic for every child

Implementation

At Little Kingshill, maths is taught in mixed ability classes where work is scaffolded to ensure that all learners can access the curriculum. The Power Maths Scheme of work ensures complete coverage of the curriculum and develops mastery maths, particularly through the use of explanation and mathematical talk to develop reasoning skills. To aid recall and retention of learning, we use feedback starters, fluency building morning tasks, consolidatory mental maths sessions, daily catch-up groups and timetabled interventions.  

The curriculum overviews show the content that each year group covers each term. Children are assessed termly in-line with curriculum content up to that point.  

Impact

The impact of our maths curriculum is that children, of all abilities, are supported to access the curriculum and learn at a similar pace. Children are able to develop a deeper understanding of each mathematical concept and build on this solid prior learning when moving onto a new topic of maths. We encourage our teachers to use their professional judgment to assess their class’ needs to ensure fluency before adding to children’s cognitive load by moving on too soon.  

At Little Kingshill, we foster an environment of growth mindsets that making mistakes are a vital part of learning and growing. Our books will show a range of representations with evidence of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Children are taught to be resilient and use a range of strategies and tools when attempting to solve problems. Throughout the school, children are developing their ability to become more independent learners, choosing the best strategies for each problem and reasoning using concrete resources, pictorially, verbally and in writing. Catch-up groups, feedback starters and interventions are all carefully planned to enable to children to address misconceptions early, build confidence and achieve their potential.  

Our teachers use formative and summative assessment to ensure children are making progress from their individual starting points. We use GL Assessments and White Rose End of Term Assessments to monitor progress closely. Our assessments show that across the school, the proportion of children achieving Age Related Expectations and Greater Depth is above the National Average. Using these results, teachers and the subject lead analyse the data to identify children needing additional support to ensure that each child is making or exceeding expected progress.

Important Documents

Times Tables

Times tables play an important role in developing children's understanding in Maths. It is expected that pupils practice their times tables ready for a weekly test. With the introduction of Times Tables Rockstars, children can practice online either independently or they may like to challenge other children in the class or school or even their teacher. Here is the link to the website:

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/70081

To aid you in this, you will find some Cracking Times Tables sheets below.