School Lane, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 7HR

01282771147

head@simonstone.lancs.sch.uk

Simonstone St Peter's Church Of England Primary School

Maths AT SIMONSTONE ST.PETERS

 

SUBJECT LEADERSHIP

 

Mrs D Hartley - Subject leader (Key stage 1)

Mrs J Freeman - Subject Leader (Key stage 2)

Mrs L Evans - Link Governor

intent

We are Mathematicians!

At Simonstone St Peter’s we inspire in our ‘mathematicians’ a sense of curiosity and fascination about the number, patterns, systems and calculations, which will remain with them for the rest of their lives.  We believe Mathematics should be taught through the Mastery approach, that all pupils “can do” maths, and reject the idea that some “just can’t do it”.

Mathematic Aims:

  • Mathematics teaching for mastery at Simonstone, assumes everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics.
  • Learning behaviours are developed such that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.
  • Teachers continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.
  • Curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.

At Simonstone we use RED ROSE MATHS as our framework for teaching maths. The scheme provides teachers with comprehensive planning materials for each lesson including teaching resources, detailed planning guidance and children’s task sheets, including deeper learning tasks to challenge more able mathematicians

Through Red Rose Maths:

  • Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence.
  • In a typical lesson, the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration, and discussion, enabling pupils to think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems.
  • Use of precise mathematical language enables all pupils to communicate their reasoning and thinking effectively.
  • If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind.
  • Significant time is spent developing deep understanding of the key ideas that are needed to underpin future learning.
  • Key number facts are learnt to automaticity, and other key mathematical facts are learned deeply and practised regularly, to avoid cognitive overload in working memory and enable pupils to focus on new learning.

Note: EYFS continues to use Development Matters, ELGs, Lancashire numberland and White Rose resources for this academic year.  Year 5 and 6 continue to use Lancashire planning progression documents for this academic year. The Red Rose maths resource for EYFS, Year 5 and Year 6 is currently being developed and will be in place at Simonstone as soon as it is ready! Year 5 is currently being piloted and will be available from July 2023.  The trial for Year 6 will then begin and should be available from July 2024. Leaders are ensuring that consistency and progression of knowledge is sequenced from EYFS to the end of year 6. 

We deliver a curriculum that shows:

  • representation and structure - effective pedagogies for modelling, concrete-pictorial-abstract approaches, effective use of manipulatives and transition between them.
  • coherence - curriculum design, progression of objectives, sequencing learning, small steps, contextualising learning between different areas of mathematics.
  • mathematical thinking - effective questioning, identifying patterns and relationships, deep understanding through reasoning and problem solving, supporting children to achieve
    deeper learning where appropriate.
  • variation - progression through representations using conceptual variation, progression through questioning using procedural variation.
  • Fluency - efficiency, accuracy, flexibility, developing unconscious competence.

At Simonstone St Peter’s we aim high, with the expectation that all children will achieve in Mathematics. Through adaptive teaching we are able to tailor the learning in maths to meet the needs of all our pupils; with our ‘challenge for all’ approach every learner meets the learning intentions. We are all mathematicians!

 

implementation

 At Simonstone St Peter’s planning for Mathematics is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full, consistent coverage of the primary mathematic concepts an mathematical thinking. Maths teaching in our school is driven by key concepts, and is defined by excellence, enjoyment and achievement for all.

Format of the lesson:

Each maths lesson will demonstrate a carefully sequenced journey through the learning (guided learning), which is led by the teacher and presented to all children. Within mixed age classes, children work in mixed ability pairs alongside the teacher with the teacher modelling and the children replicating. Careful questioning, two way interaction, short tasks, explanation, demonstration and discussion will all be evident. Lesson design, links to prior learning  ensuring all can access the new learning and identifies carefully sequenced steps in progression to build secure understanding. Examples, representations and models are carefully selected to expose the structure of mathematical concepts and emphasise connections, enabling pupils to develop a deep knowledge of mathematics. Procedural fluency and conceptual understanding are developed in tandem because each supports the development of the other.  It is recognised that practice is a vital part of learning, but the practice must be designed to both reinforce pupils’ procedural fluency and develop their conceptual understanding.

Key Principles in our implementation of maths:

Using the key vocabulary -  children replicating the correct use.

 Encourage deeper thinking - reinforce, don't rush key concepts.

There are scaffolds to support children - challenge for all through extension questions and an explanation of possible misconceptions.

Children understanding and enjoying Maths - having the resilience to accept challenge and to question their understanding

Assessment for Learning is crucial - building on prior knowledge, using pre teaching and teachers adapting as the children learn.

Learning Checks are used to guide the learning taking place

Intervention is identified quickly and delivered as soon as possible, preferably before the start of the next lesson.  Early intervention means the child/children should be ready to move on with the whole class.

outdoor space is used to enhance our mathematical journey - providing stimulating ways to investigate maths in the real world. 

learning is linked to the wider picture - including future career paths and beyond year 6

 

impact 

 

A Simonstone mathematician...

Flourishes during their time at Simonstone St Peter’s and gains a passion and understanding of the role maths plays in everyday life.  A Simonstone mathematician is confident in recalling previous learning and how this has supported them in developing further knowledge. They use mathematical vocabulary appropriately and demonstrate taught skills with an understanding of when they might use these in later life. The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. Children know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely on in many areas of their daily life. Children have a positive view of maths due to learning in an environment where maths is promoted as being an exciting and enjoyable subject in which they can investigate and ask questions; they know that it is reasonable to make mistakes because this can strengthen their learning through the journey to finding an answer. Children are confident to ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem. Our children have a good understanding of their strengths and targets for development in maths and what they need to do to improve. Our maths books evidence work of a high standard of which children clearly take pride; the components of the teaching sequences demonstrate good coverage of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Our feedback and interventions support children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be, ensuring a high proportion of children are on track or above. Our school standards are high, we moderate our books both internally and externally and children are achieving well.

At Simonstone St Peter’s we use both summative and formative assessment to assess the impact of our mathematics curriculum. The below approaches to assessments are examples of what teachers and leaders use to determine the progress and attainment of Simonstone Mathematicians

  • Formal, informal and verbal feedback - live marking
  • 3 formal internal data drops 
  • Moderation of work - internal and external
  • Tracking against National curriculum objectives
  • Pupil Voice
  •  Report to parents 

maths in action