Intent, Implementation, Impact
Intent
At Ethelbert Road Primary School, we intend to provide a curriculum, which recognises previous learning and build upon it giving our children the necessary skills and knowledge to become successful in their future endeavours. We believe in a mastery approach which includes sustained levels of challenge through varied and high-quality activities with a focus on fluency, reasoning and problem-solving.
Through mastery pupils are required to explore maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their working. A wide range of mathematical resources are used to ensure we use a combination of concrete, pictorial and abstract approaches across the school.
Children are taught to explain their choice of methods and develop their mathematical reasoning skills. we encourage resilience, adaptability and acceptance that struggle is often a necessary step in learning. Our curriculum encourages the children to enjoy the learning process and be curious learners. It allows them to make better sense of the world around them relating the pattern between mathematics and everyday life.
At Ethelbert Road Primary School, the majority of pupils move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged by being offered rich mastery and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding including through additional practice, before moving on.
We aim to ensure that all children:
Become fluent in the basics of mathematics, including varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problem solving over time, so that pupils are able to recall and apply their knowledge and use their skills rapidly and accurately.
Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, identifying patterns and relationships, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
Can solve problems by applying mathematical skills learned to a variety of increasingly sophisticated problems, where several steps are needed to find a solution.
To develop resilience that enables all children to reason and problem-solve with increased confidence.
Implementation
To ensure full topic coverage of the National Curriculum, we use Power Maths, supported by White Rose. This is a whole-school primary maths curriculum that creates continuity and progression in the teaching of mathematics. Daily maths lessons include fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. Maths is also taught across the curriculum to ensure that skills taught in lessons are applied to other subjects such as Science, Geography and History.
Every class has access to Times Table Rock Stars and Numbots. Numbots is an online platform which focuses on early number understanding and helps our Reception and Year One children to master the necessary fluency needed to have success with numbers. Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS) is primarily used by our Key Stage Two classes but will be used by Year Two children when it is appropriate for them. TTRS is an online platform focusing on the rapid recall of multiplication facts to allow them to be as successful as possible in Key Stage Two. This is a big focus for lower Key Stage Two and especially Year Four.
We have morning maths activities throughout the week to ensure general maths knowledge and fluency are maintained and developed. These activities take many forms, for example: Flash Back 4, Number Sense Maths, arithmetic practice, times table practice, TTRS or Numbots.
Every classroom has a Maths working wall which is kept up to date with the current learning to support the children. The wall will demonstrate concepts and display key vocabulary for the topic or lesson.
Teachers use adaptive teaching strategies to ensure an appropriate challenge for all learners. Concrete manipulatives, pictorial representations and abstract representations are used to support and develop conceptual understanding.
Children's progress is continually monitored against expectations for their age, with teachers making formative assessment notes to then inform their teaching and interventions. We make every effort to have same-day interventions to try and keep the class together. Staff support children by running consolidation or pre-teaching sessions to ensure they are confident with the skills required for the upcoming lessons.
Summative assessments are completed during school assessment weeks, which happen three times a year. In Year Six, previous SATs papers can be used to assess the progress of pupils. Pupil progress will be discussed during Pupil Progress Meetings and these discussions will then inform our upcoming planning, provision maps and communication with parents.
Impact
The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. With the implementation of the mathematical journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, children become confident mathematicians and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most key skills of mathematics are familiar to them and the teaching can focus on applying their knowledge to mathematical calculations and problems.
Evidence in knowledge
Pupils know how and why Maths is used in the outside world and in the workplace. They know about different ways that maths can be used to support their future potential.
Mathematical concepts or skills are mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using the mathematical language to explain their ideas and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations.
Children demonstrate quick recall of facts and procedures. This includes the recall of times tables.
Evidence in skills
Pupils used acquired vocabulary in maths lessons. They have the skills to use methods independently and show resilience when tackling problems.
The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations in maths.
Children show a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of their work.
The chance to develop the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in maths lessons.
Teachers plan a range of opportunities to use maths.
Pupil Voice
Through discussions and feedback, children talk enthusiastically about their maths lessons and speak about how they love learning maths. They can articulate the context in which maths is being taught and relate this to real-life purposes.
Children show confidence and believe they can learn about a new maths area and apply the knowledge and skills they already have.
Outcomes
At the end of each year, we expect that most children will have reached the Age Related Expectations (EXS) for their year group. Some children will have progressed further and achieved Greater Depth (GDS). Children who have gaps in their knowledge will continue to receive appropriate support and interventions.
Our attainment can be found on the Data and Assessment page.
Formative and summative assessment demonstrates that most children at Ethelbert Road are achieving in Mathematics at age-related expectations or above.