Intent

At Seamer, we follow the White Rose Mathematics scheme to enable us to cover the Mathematics National Curriculum Programmes of Study with carefully sequenced lessons providing cohesion across year groups backed by a rigorous Long-term plan. All year groups teach maths every day and in addition to this, we have a Mastering Number session (EYFS, Y1-2 and Y4-5) to build core skills.

We use a mastery approach to learning and aim to encourage the deepest of learning for our children so that their knowledge can be transferred and applied in many contexts across different subjects as well as in their everyday lives. This approach enables all children to master the mathematics curriculum and draws inspiration from a range of high quality sources including NCETM. Concepts are taught through manageable small steps which build on skills children have learnt.

Mastering maths means pupils of all ages acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering maths. Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that’s been taught to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material.

The Five Big Ideas underpin teaching for mastery in our school.

Implementation

Maths is widely promoted across the school and our classrooms have working walls that the children can utilise to support their learning and provide extra challenge. All children have access to our maths curriculum whatever their ability or needs and we have high expectations for all pupils. Mathematical vocabulary is an essential part of each lesson and the children need to understand this within the area they are studying. We integrate the Forest Schools programme into our maths curriculum by using practical maths linked to each year group’s current topic.

The Times Tables Rockstars online platform is used within school and as part of home learning to allow children opportunities to learn tables in different ways. Competitions take place across the school to promote the use of TTR. Being fluent in calculation and knowing multiplication tables by heart are a maths essential. Knowing the multiplication tables (and their associated division facts) supports mathematical learning and understanding. Those children who have a strong grasp of them tend to be more self-assured when learning new concepts.

Parents are signposted to important home learning links including White Rose Maths where videos are available to allow parents and children the opportunity to see how to carry out calculations and for parents to have some support with home learning.

Our aim is to ensure that the three core areas of the national curriculum are covered in our lessons: fluency, reasoning and problem solving. We offer the children the opportunity to have varied and frequent practice of their maths skills with the focus on their ability to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately. Reasoning is a key aspect of our lessons as children need to be able to ‘Describe, explain, convince, justify and prove…’ in order to be successful in this subject.

Impact

At Seamer, we use a variety of assessment processes and materials to help children make progress and to make sure that learning meets the needs of all individual pupils. Timely use of interventions is effective in helping children to close the gaps in learning so that children do not fall behind. We aim to provide a ‘keep-up not catch-up’ learning environment within our maths lessons.

White Rose end of unit tests are carried out to monitor learning and identify gaps so that some children can receive targeted interventions where needed. This also allows children to become more confident in identifying their own steps in learning and what they need to do to improve further. White Rose Flashback 4 is also used across the school in a variety of ways according to the age of the pupils.

Within Times Tables Rockstars, we use the Gig and Soundcheck mode to provide a diagnostic analysis of every child’s tables knowledge in Year 2 – Year 6. Heatmaps are shared with parents to assist with home learning and TTR interventions are provided as required. The aim is for all pupils to have a sound knowledge of their times tables by the end of Year 4.

PUMA Tests and End of Key stage assessments are used for summative assessments termly. Progress is measured and pupil progress meetings are carried out to look at ways of supporting interventions for those who require it. All groups of learners are discussed within the meeting and future targets are set.

Year Group Information