Mathematics
Intent
At Hugh Gaitskell Primary our maths vision is to ensure children have a secure understanding of mathematical fluency and the ability to apply their arithmetic fluency to problem solving and reasoning. We aim to develop children’s skills and knowledge in order to be successful so that they can know more, do more and remember more. On our maths voyage, children will be engaged and enthused to become confident mathematicians through teachers fostering a nurturing, safe but challenging environment in which children are empowered to develop their fluency skills and apply them to problem solving contexts.
Implementation
Hugh Gaitskell Primary School is a diverse and multicultural school with an ever-changing cohort. Therefore our curriculum is reflective of and bespoke to the needs of the cohort of the school. Our curriculum focuses on ensuring children feel powerful and strong to succeed on their maths journey through a curriculum that builds on prior knowledge as well as constantly revisiting core knowledge both in year groups and year-on-year. Overarching topics are broken down into small manageable steps using a nationally recognised scheme ‘White Rose Maths’. Our curriculum is then further broken down into fluency (either basic or varied depending on the needs of the cohort) then problem solving and reasoning.
Oracy is a huge part of our school and a thread that runs through every curriculum especially maths. We implement ‘Talk Matters’ strategies within every maths lesson which provides children with numerous opportunities in lessons to discuss the maths either 1:1, in small groups or as part of a whole class discussion. Every lesson children are asked to recall prior learning through ‘Arithmetic Aces’ in the form of low-stakes quizzes. Due to our ever-changing cohort, our maths curriculum is carefully adapted to ensure all children can access the age appropriate content as well as having adapted resources to meet each child’s individual needs.
Impact
- All children leave primary school with the necessary skills to take them on to further education.
- Children enjoy their maths lessons and talk positively about what they are learning.
- Children talk confidently about maths using appropriate mathematical vocabulary and by justifying and explaining their reasoning.
- Children are able to demonstrate their understanding of a range of mathematical concepts in a variety of ways, using concrete apparatus, diagrams and visual representations and also by using more abstract methods.
- Children of all abilities have a growth mindset towards maths, engagement in maths lessons has increased, evidenced by observations and pupil voice.
- Children make excellent progress from their often low starting points despite the many barriers they face.
- Children demonstrate their resilience in problem solving and reasoning and are able to work independently and collaboratively to reach a solution.
- Engagement with TT Rockstars increases so that a larger percentage of children are active players, leading to children being more fluent in recall of their times tables and related facts.
- Children working at greater depth are appropriately challenged and continue to make good progress.