Maths

Mathematics at St. Paul's

Intent

At St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, children are encouraged to enjoy Mathematics and become enthusiastic mathematicians by developing skills, knowledge and understanding through practical experiences which have relevance and purpose in everyday situations. It is important that children develop skills to become lifelong learners. They should be able to apply these skills in different situations across the curriculum and in daily living outside school.

• In Early Years the children work towards achieving the Early Learning Goals through practical and fun activities. Activities are adult led and support children of all abilities.
• Throughout KS1 and KS2 we follow the White Rose Hub mastery planning. We ensure children have the opportunity to use the CPA (concrete, pictorial and abstract) approach to learning. 
• Our aims are:
• All children to become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics through varied and frequent practice of increasingly complex problems over time.
• All children develop the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• All children develop the ability to solve problems through decision making and reasoning in a range of contexts.
• All children develop mathematical language through speaking and listening, practical activities and recording work.

Children are given opportunities to reinforce their mathematical knowledge and make links through the whole curriculum, particularly science, history and geography.  Teachers also try to link the children’s problem solving to their current topic where appropriate.  To support the learning of times tables Year 2 – 6 have access to Times Table Rockstars.

Implementation

Teachers at St. Paul’s use a variety of learning and teaching styles in Mathematics along with a range of strategies that cater for different types of learners. These include:

• Use of models and images
• Use of computer software including iPads
• Use of the outdoor environment
• Effective questioning
• Pupil demonstration and explanation

We deliver lessons that are creative and engaging. We want children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. As our pupils progress, we intend for our pupils to be able to understand the world, have the ability to reason mathematically, have an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. A range of suitable learning opportunities are planned and used to cater for different abilities –challenging group work, children working independently, in pairs, in groups and as a whole class. The use of open-ended investigations provides excellent opportunities for differentiated outcomes. We use teaching assistants to support and extend children’s learning.

In Early years the children work towards achieving the early learning goals through practical and fun activities. Activities are adult led and support children of all abilities.

Throughout KS1 and KS2 we follow the White Rose Hub mastery planning. We ensure the children have the opportunity to use the CPA (concrete/context, pictorial and abstract) approach to learning.

Children are given opportunities to reinforce their mathematical knowledge throughout the whole curriculum. Teachers also try to link the children’s problem solving to their current topic where appropriate.

To support the learning of times tables, Y2-Y6 have access to “Times Table Rockstars”. A program on which children can compete with each other to getter faster and more accurate at their times tables. Each half term we have a whole school “Rock Battle” which is very exciting.

Two TTRS clubs are available for the children. A lunch time drop in session for any children in KS2 and an after school club for a focus year group.

Impact

• All children to become fluent in the fundamentals of Mathematics through varied and frequent practice of increasingly complex problems over time.
• All children develop the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• All children develop the ability to solve problems through decision making and reasoning in a range of contexts.
• All children develop mathematical language through speaking and listening, practical activities and recording work.
• Children are monitored through termly assessments against the National curriculum standards.

The results from both the formative assessment and summative assessment is then used to determine children’s progress and attainment.