Mathematics
‘Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected 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’ (National Curriculum 2014)
Intent
Maths is a skill we use on a daily basis and is an essential part of everyday life. Maths forms an important part of our curriculum offer for the majority of our pupils and we endeavour to ensure that children develop an enjoyment and enthusiasm for maths that will empower them in the future. We promote fluency as an essential life skill for all learners along with being able to reason and solve problems. Our aim is to develop a positive culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths that produces strong, secure learning although this will differ from pupil to pupil based upon their backgrounds and prior learning before coming to us. Start points vary considerably. We place great emphasis on the use of concrete resources and pictorial representations at all ages as this supports an understanding of the concepts and principals, when presented with abstract calculations and questions.
Implementation
Our Maths curriculum is based upon individual need; sometimes we will follow a pupil’s own school curriculum and at other times we will use our own progressive programme. Whatever the case, our Maths curriculum provides breadth and balance, is relevant and engaging and is differentiated to match the needs and abilities of all our pupils to ensure that all pupils are able to excel. Most pupils receive a minimum of 3 hours maths tuition each week, which is usually 1:1, although this will vary according to individual need and whether we are aiming to replicate the curriculum of their own school. We use White Rose to guide our own programme of learning but also use schemes from other schools as applicable to individuals. Sessions are broken down into smaller chunks with plenty of opportunities to revisit, practise and consolidate skills before moving on. Formative assessment is used daily with summative assessments supporting end of unit judgements. Verbal feedback is given daily and is ongoing. Pupils are involved in understanding objectives and targets and have opportunities to comment on their own progress. Maths is also taught or/and used in other subjects such as Science and Geography where pupils might collect and present data sets or analyse information gained from investigations.
Impact
Our Pupils
|