Maths

Maths at Cloverlea

Intent

At Cloverlea, we believe that a high-quality maths curriculum should be enjoyable, challenging and accessible to all, whilst maximising the development of every child's ability and achievement. We want children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

We want our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical skills and knowledge across the curriculum and become independent learners with inquisitive minds who have secure mathematical foundations and a 'can do' attitude towards their learning.

At Cloverlea, we follow the National Curriculum for mathematics which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex   problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Implementation

At Cloverlea, we are  developing ‘teaching for mastery’ in our maths curriculum. Teaching maths for mastery is a transformational approach which stems from research into high performing Asian nations such as Singapore.
An important feature of teaching for mastery is that the whole class works on the same topics at broadly the same pace, with lots of time and practice in each topic before moving on. An idea is carefully introduced and formed, then reinforced by lots of practice over a series of lessons. This enables children to develop a deep and long-lasting understanding of the concepts being taught.
In the Early Years (Nursery and Reception), teachers use the Development Matters to inform their planning and teaching involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers; calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, space, and measures. Children will develop their understanding through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.
Lessons in Years 1 and 2 are taught using the ‘Maths No Problem!’ scheme of work. Cloverlea decided to introduce the Maths No Problem scheme in stages to ensure children are able to access the learning using this approach. Year 3 will begin this approach from September 2020, then Year 4 from September 2021 then Years 5 and 6 from September 2022 and 2023 respectively. Until Maths No Problem is rolled out across the school, the remaining classes will continue to use a combination of Collins Busy Ant Maths and White Rose Maths to inform their planning, whilst focusing on building fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills using a variety of age related resources. Across the school, teachers use a range of resources to build and develop fluency such as Times Tables Rock Stars and Numbots which the children can continue at home.   

Why did we choose the ‘Maths – No Problem!’ scheme?

• The scheme is based on research and evidence and endorsed by the Department for Education and the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics).

• It builds students’ mathematical fluency, reasoning and develops their ability to solve problems - the key aims of the maths curriculum.

• The scheme teaches pupils to understand maths in stages, often beginning with concrete objects (such as counters, Base 10 and number disks), then moving to pictorial representations (representing problems using pictures), and finally working in the abstract (where children represent problems using mathematical notation, such as 12 ÷ 4 = 3). Through this process, children learn numerous strategies to work with numbers and build understanding and confidence in maths.

• The scheme encourages pupils to learn to think mathematically, as opposed to reciting formulas/’tricks’ they don’t understand.

Impact

As a result, across the school, children and teachers are enthusiastic about maths as we develop our Mastery curriculum. This curriculum is developing the following aspects:

· Quick recall of facts and procedures.

· The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of  mathematics.

· The ability to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics.

A mathematical concept or skill has been 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.

We are excited about the development of maths at Cloverlea and whilst children's progress and attainment is already above national and local average, we believe that our goal of a Mastery curriculum will empower our pupils to take hold of their learning and go from strength to strength.

Maths Snapshots