Maths

Intent

All staff members at Warboys Primary Academy, are committed to ensuring that all our pupils are successful in the three core areas of the Maths National Curriculum: fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. We know that mathematics is essential to everyday life. It enables children to: understand the world around them; solve problems; communicate more effectively; develop financial literacy and is necessary for most forms of employment. At Warboys, we employ a mastery approach to teaching and learning mathematics to develop a deep and secure understanding of the subject. In lessons, children use a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations. Furthermore lessons prioritise time for children to discuss their thinking to help develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. We aim to ensure that all children:

  • Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics
  • Develop enjoyment and curiosity for mathematics
  • Develop the ability to reason mathematically and problem solve
  • Understand the value the importance of the subject.  
  • Have a broad and balanced curriculum offering pupils opportunities to develop their skills in a variety of contexts. 
Implementation

From the 25/26 academic year, we are starting to transition away from the White Rose scheme of learning to the NCTEM curriculum prioritisation. This will provide coherent sequencing of the primary maths curriculum, using high quality professional development materials provided by the NCTEM. These overviews ensure that the national curriculum is covered and draws together the DfE guidance on curriculum prioritisation. At WPA we value professional development of our staff and have developed a strong connection to the Cambridge Maths Hub. Staff further their pedagogical practice and understanding of mathematics through their CPD work groups each academic year.

Curriculum content is broken down into small manageable steps to ensure that each lesson has a clear focus and helps children understand concepts by following a carefully planned sequence of lessons. This avoids the cognitive overload that can occur when too many concepts are covered at once and ensures that each lesson contributes to the long-term goal. Within each lesson, children can acquire, practise, apply and deepen their knowledge and skills as appropriate. 

What does a mathematics lesson look like?

A maths lesson at WPA always strives to ensure the children are as active in their learning as possible, allows time for rich mathematical discussion and provides children time to refine and consolidate their understanding. Every day, lessons will start with a ‘revisit and review’ which will focus on core knowledge that the children need to know. These short but focussed starters are designed by the teachers and based on the needs of their class. The lesson will then follow a structure which ties into our pedagogical model.

What additional programmes do you focus on to enhance my child’s mathematical learning?

Mastering Number

EYFS and Key Stage One participate in the Mastering Number Programme with the NCTEM. This is an additional 10 minute mathematical session (four times weekly) with the aim on developing a deep and secure understanding of number, including subitizing, number composition and decomposition, and the relationships between numbers. The program seeks to foster fluency and flexibility with number, enabling children to become confident and efficient mathematicians.

Number Sense

Children in KS2 participate in the Number Sense Programme for Times Tables fluency. The ability to recall their multiplication and division facts is crucial in mathematics to apply knowledge in a range of contexts and not overload the child cognitively when solving complex problems. The programme is an additional 10-minute mathematical session (four times weekly) in which children practice their fluid and efficient recall of the 36 essential multiplication facts.

What are the mathematical essentials for WPA?

These are the core knowledge that we know children must learn and obtain to ensure academic success in the subject. They are developed in line with the DfE curriculum prioritisation document. It is the key learning we value and know will assist your child as they progress through the school. You can find the mathematical essentials for each year group on our website.  

How is my child supported in mathematics?

Teaching staff provide scaffolds, adaptive teaching techniques and relevant support for children as necessary in lessons. Children who are not making expected progress are identified through a range of methods including (but not exclusively); verbal responses in class, evidence in books, teacher assessments collected through their feedback journal; formative and summative assessments. These observations are happening daily and further support is then put in place to support children. For instance: smaller guided group work the next lesson; 1:1 conferencing or intervention from a member of staff; conversations with parents at home on specific tasks that can support at home and pre teaching material prior to the learning.

Impact

At WPA, the impact of our teaching will ensure:

  • All children to make at least expected progress from their starting points and most children reach end of year expectations.
  • Children who are not working at the expected standard or have not made expected progress is shared with parents and staff and support is put in place to help that child with their specific learning needs.
  •  Children demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures.
  •  Children can independently and fluently apply their knowledge to a range of increasingly complex problems.
  • Children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. 
  • Children have a positive view of maths and know they can investigate and ask questions; they know that it is OK to be ‘wrong’ and that this can strengthen their learning.
  • Children are confident to ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem.
  •  Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of the work.

To measure the impact of our curriculum we: track the progress of children using INSIGHT; hold termly Pupil Progress Meetings to discuss the needs of each cohort and if additional support is required; conduct pupil voice on their enjoyment of the lessons and their understanding of their progress; observe lessons and look at the learning recorded in books; examine the use of teachers’ feedback journals in addressing misconceptions in learning; moderation within school and across the trust; and reflecting on local and national data to spot trends and patterns over time.

 

Our calculation policies are under review, but you can see some current guidance below.