Maths

curriculum Intent statement

Mathematics is an integral part of the curriculum at Loseley Fields.  As a school, we believe that strong mathematical foundations are a vitally important tool that our children need to help them succeed when solving problems; both in school and in the wider world.  Maths is essential to everyday life:

• it gives the framework to explore the world around us; 
• it creates opportunities to develop skills of determination and perseverance;
• it aids subjects such as science, technology and engineering;
• it is necessary for financial literacy;
• it helps to interact with an increasingly digital world;
• is important in most careers, vocations or forms of employment. 

It is, therefore, our intent that all children at Loseley Fields should receive a well-conceived, challenging and stimulating mathematics curriculum that will prepare them to thrive in the world in which they live.

The National Curriculum (2014, DfE) for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately;

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately;
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language;
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions. 

Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study in the National Curriculum are, by necessity, organised into distinct domains. However, we want our pupils to be able to make connections between mathematical ideas and draw upon previously taught knowledge.  This, in turn, will enable them to develop their mathematical fluency and reasoning skills, and therefore enable them to succeed in solving increasingly complex problems. 

At Loseley Fields, children have daily maths lessons that cover a broad and balanced range of knowledge and skills including: number and place value; operations and calculations; fractions; geometry; measures and statistics.  Teachers plan lessons on these areas of the curriculum using a five-part lesson structure:

1.      Revise and review 

2.      Mental maths

3.      Whole class teaching

4.      Independent application

5.      Plenary/Review

Revise and review

During each lesson, children are given the chance to revisit, revise and review previous learning; something that helps build mathematical fluency.  Academic research shows that as little as five minutes a day of rehearsing and practising previously taught skills in maths enables children to cement their understanding of topics and then apply them more successfully when solving problems.

Mental maths

This section of the lesson focuses on developing children’s mental dexterity; it develops their ability to work with numbers in an abstract context and perform increasingly complex calculations without the need to record their thinking.  Examples of mental maths concepts taught include: rapid recall of addition and subtraction facts to 10, doubling and halving, knowledge of times tables facts up to 10 x 10 and the ability to multiply and divide numbers by 10, 100 or 100.

Whole class teaching

During this part of the lesson, teaching takes place to address new concepts or ideas.  At the beginning of the academic year, a strong focus in placed upon developing sound mathematical strategies and solving numerical calculations.  As the year progresses, teachers will show the children how to apply the skills that they have learned to a wider range of problems that involve mathematical reason – the ability to explain and prove how a problem has been solved.

Independent application

This is the chance during lessons where children get use and apply the skills they have been taught, both during that current lesson but across the wider year as well.  Whilst completing these actives, children may have access to a range of different mathematical resources to support their thinking and may also be give the chance to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or idea that they have been taught.  Teachers design tasks that are matched to the needs of all the learners in the class, providing support where required and offering challenge when needed.

Plenary/review

At the end of the lesson, teachers give children the chance to demonstrate what they have learned as well as giving them time to reflect upon their learning.  These sessions take different forms and can sometimes be a chance for children to assess their confidence with a particular topic, challenge misconceptions that have arisen during the teaching or even play a game that helps apply the skills that have been taught.

Mastering Number

In addition to daily maths lessons in EYFS and KS1, children participate in Mastering Number which is a program developed by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) that helps children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 develop their number sense. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention is given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.

Assessment in maths

Assessment plays a vital role in teaching and learning. In schools, pupils are regularly assessed by teachers through informal day-to-day observations, discussions and marking of books, as well as more formal style tests and tasks at the end of a topic, term or year.

The purpose of assessment is to find out what pupils are able to do independently and, perhaps more importantly, identify gaps in children's knowledge and understanding. Teachers should use the results from assessments to inform their future planning.  

In order to master the maths curriculum, pupils need a secure understanding of concepts. Rather than rushing on to the next topic, children should broaden and deepen their understanding. Throughout each lesson formative assessment takes place and feedback is given to the children through marking and next step tasks to ensure they are meeting the specific learning objective. Teacher’s then use this assessment to influence their planning and ensure they are providing a mathematics curriculum that will allow each child to progress. The teaching of maths is also monitored on a termly basis by the subject leaders. 

Children who have not made the required attainment, will need to be provided with more opportunities to revisit topics and consolidate their understanding. Teachers and schools should allocate the time and provide adult support, if required, to achieve this.

Meanwhile, other children who have already mastered a concept should be given opportunities to explore areas in greater depth by being given more complex reasoning and problem-solving questions.

There are two main types of assessments: 'Formative' and 'Summative'. Both are used by teachers to regularly monitor children's progress and attainment.

Summative Assessment – Assessment OF learning

This provides a summary at the end of what a pupil has learnt and achieved of a period of time (either at the end of a topic, term, year or end of Key Stage SATs tests). This simply sums up how well a child has performed in a specific area relative to the learning objectives or expected standards.

Summative assessments do not always need to be done through tests, they can be gleaned from discussions or observations which can be recorded as scored numbers, but also photographic/written/recorded evidence of a child's work to show what they have achieved.  This information can then be given to parents and carers, Head teachers and Governors, Local Authorities etc to track progress and attainment within and between schools enabling schools to consider ways to raise standards in teaching and learning.

Formative Assessment - Assessment FOR Learning

This happens during teaching and learning on a more day-to-day basis. By monitoring pupils more frequently, for example during and at the end of lessons, teachers can identify children who may be struggling with a concept and intervene quickly, often working with the child in that lesson or perhaps plan the next lesson to incorporate more support or resources to help plug the gaps or clarify misconceptions.

Formative assessment is constant and ongoing and is an instinctive part of the teaching and learning process.  They can be done through questioning during lessons, marking children's work or perhaps more formal assessments such as tests.

In basic terms:

Formative assessment informs next steps of teaching and learning.

Summative assessment sums up current knowledge and understanding.

National Statutory Assessments

EYFS

Since September 2021, children in state-funded infant and primary schools undertake a statutory, standardised baseline assessment of each pupil within the first six weeks of them starting reception class.

The baseline assessments are carried out in order for schools to find out what a child's current knowledge and understanding is of key areas as they enter primary school: maths, language, communication and literacy (it does not assess all areas of learning in EYFS).  

Teachers ask pupils to undertake simple tasks or make observations whilst children are doing activities and using resources. In maths these tasks involve early number, early calculation (involving early addition and subtraction), mathematical language and early understanding of shape.

This collected information can then help schools to:

understand the needs of pupils and identify children who may benefit from additional support or those who show a greater ability or talent - this can inform teachers' planning
discover each child's aptitude for learning and their potential
have a 'snapshot' or starting point in which to measure the impact schools are making with their pupils and how well they are progress year on year.
Children cannot 'pass' or 'fail' these assessments. Results of these baseline assessments are not published.  

How are children assessed at the end of EYFS? 

In the last term of Reception class, schools will report pupils' development and achievement in seven specific areas of learning which are taken from the Department for Education's EYFS profile. The areas for maths are Numbers and Numerical Patterns.

When children reach the end of the Foundation Stage, they are assessed against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) for maths.  These teacher assessments are used as part of the school’s published EYFS data.

Year 4

Children in Year 4 take a nationally standardised online Times Table Check (MTC) which assesses rapid recall of multiplication facts up to 12x12.  The results are used to generate published data.

Year 6

At the end of Year 6, students will complete the SATs tests, which comprise of both arithmetic and reasoning papers. These are marked externally and used to formulate the school’s published end of Key Stage 2 data.