Maths

Maths Overview

INTENT:

At Ringwood Junior School children will be given the opportunity to develop mastery in mathematics. Pupil’s confidence will develop through the use of varied and stimulating teaching strategies, a range of teaching resources and by motivating and challenging pupils.  The school aims to work in partnership with pupils and parents, encouraging each child in a sense of achievement. Our mathematics curriculum aims to:

• Develop pupil’s number fluency through varied and frequent practice.
• Encourage the children to reason mathematically by explaining, justifying and proving their thoughts and calculations.
• Allow the children to solve mathematical problems by applying calculations to problems and by breaking problems into smaller steps and being resilient.

Throughout the children’s time with us, we will foster lifelong learning in mathematics by emphasising the importance of it in their day-to-day lives, while encouraging them to develop a love of maths.

IMPLEMENTATION:

Maths is taught daily across the school.  The arrangements for the teaching of maths are slightly different across the school. In years 3/4/5, the children are taught as mixed ability classes. In year 6, the teaching is in ability sets.

The various strands of maths are taught in blocks, varying in length depending on the strand, but usually between 1-3 weeks. The strands of mathematics are:

• Number and place value
• Addition and subtraction
• Multiplication and division
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Measurement
• Geometry
• Statistics
• Ratio and proportion (year 6 only)
• Algebra (year 6 only)

Although the strands are taught in blocks, the inter-connectivity between the areas are strong and are brought together through problem solving activities.

Across the school, each maths lesson begins with a five-minute maintenance of key facts fluency activity – this will be on a rotation of five key areas: times tables, counting up and down, number bonds, language of shape and time and calendar. Following this there will be a written problem, which the children will solve. This is called the MMM. The question does not have to be related to the current strand of maths being taught, as it encourages the children to think back to previous maths taught and make connections in their learning.

The remainder of the lesson is spent learning about an element of the current strand of maths. The teaching and learning is supported through a progression through using concrete resources, pictorial representations leading onto the abstract mathematics. There will be an element of fluency to practice the new skills, followed by reasoning or problem solving related to the learning in that lesson.  The reasoning/problem solving helps the children think deeper and challenges thinking. We think it is important for children to develop subject knowledge skills that will help them become a true mathematician.

There are a number of resources, which must be available to the children displayed in the classroom, including an age-appropriate numberline, questions, reasoning sentence starters and class clock to help with the children’s independence in their learning. We are committed to using a range of models and images to support understanding.

Problem solving skills are explicitly taught each half term, through activities on the ‘Nrich’ website and the children are encouraged to use these strategies in their maths lessons.

The correct use and spelling of vocabulary is developed with bookmarks (along with the working walls) with vocabulary relevant each strand of maths and year group objectives.

In one lesson per week, the children are given the opportunity to work on their times tables and complete a ‘times table challenge’. This is a progression through the times tables, with children receiving a certificate in assembly at the end of each level. Children also have full access to ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ – a fun, interactive website, paid for by the school, to help them learn their times tables.

Homework is set each week on ‘Mathletics’ – a website which provides activities aligned to each year group’s objectives. The homework gives the children an opportunity to practice a skill learnt at school. Children with no access to the internet at home, are given the opportunity to complete at school.

Some SEND children or children working below ARE, will receive additional support, in and out of lesson time. These children will be decided by discussion between year teams. Booster groups are run by teachers and LSA’s to help children to progress. This can be in the form of pre-teaching or over-learning.

Children’s progress is monitored through their work in their works by class teachers. Learning is formally assessed using NFER test twice per year (at beginning of spring term and towards the end of summer term).

The subject is monitored through regular book scrutinies, lesson observations (by year leaders and maths leader), pupil conferencing and learning walks looking at the learning environment.