Maths

Kirkoswald CE Primary School - Intent for Mathematics

Children at Kirkoswald CE Primary School aim to understand and ‘master’ the mathematical concepts that they are learning. There is a depth of learning and children are confident and ready for the next stage of their education.

Sequences of learning in each year group are based on the White Rose Maths, small-steps of learning. This ensures learning is cumulative and focuses on specific concepts over a period of time. Children have enough time to practice skills through a range of varied ‘fluency’ tasks, using a number of different representations. Concepts are investigated using appropriate resources and manipulatives to support understanding. It is important that through 'fluency' tasks, children build the confidence and understanding to recall knowledge accurately and rapidly. As a school which values learning outside of the classroom, our vast, outdoor areas are utilised to support and enhance the maths curriculum. Learning is built upon and spaced: our revisiting process we call ‘Ozzy's 5-a-day’ is completed daily and is designed to give children opportunities to retrieve and practice prior knowledge, skills and understanding, allowing for ‘sticky learning’. Statutory curriculum requirements such recall of multiplication tables are taught and practiced within sequences of learning, enabling children to rely on these essential skills in further contexts.  

Learning experiences are vocabulary rich and it is expected that children use mathematical vocabulary readily, explaining their thinking. Alongside fluency tasks, having had time to develop conceptual understanding, children are exposed to a range of reasoning and problem solving tasks in different contexts. This allows for the application of knowledge and skills children have been taught, and is transferrable to other subject areas where appropriate. Problems increase in sophistication and require children to think deeply, break problems down into simpler steps and persevere to seek solutions. Children work on strategies to overcome challenges both independently and collaboratively.

All children remain appropriately challenged and are encouraged to challenge themselves; they are coached to use age-appropriate stuck strategies with increasing confidence. It is expected that whole classes can grasp mathematical learning and progress at a similar pace. Extra support is for children who need it to help them keep up, not catch up, based on their individual learning needs. Higher attaining pupils have the chance to consolidate and deepen their understanding with more challenging, deep-thinking tasks and activities within the same learning objective. 'Marvellous Mistakes' are celebrated and used as learning experiences, with children being encouraged to ask, 'Where did I go wrong?' 

Children leave Kirkoswald CE Primary School with a positive, ‘I can do this’ mind-set towards mathematics. Pupils can move freely between mathematical ideas and concepts, with strategies to help them engage with deep-learning challenges in further education and in the wider world.

 

Please find below useful documents which show how mathematical calculations, knowledge, skills and understanding are taught in school per year group, and how the subject develops and progresses across the school:

 

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