Mathematics
Aims for our pupils
At Repton Manor Primary School, we aim to provide a high-quality mathematics education that provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically and to provide a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Our pupils will be provided with the opportunities to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
Mathematics lessons at Repton Manor
Fluency |
Reasoning |
Applying |
Our children use a variety of practical resources to support their learning. These include Numicon, 100 squares, place value boards and counters, measuring equipment and computing equipment. Along with these practical aspects of learning, we teach the children the necessary mental skills to develop mathematical understanding. This development of mental and practical skills encourages a ‘fluency’ of understanding to develop. We focus heavily on timestable skills at Repton Manor and the children actively seek to learn their multiplication facts to earn multiplication table bands.
Once the necessary skills have been provided to our pupils, we encourage them to take their learning to a deeper level. By ‘reasoning’, we allow the children to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. This can be by explaining their learning using a written explanation or by answering questions at a greater depth to showcase their knowledge more deeply.
When the children have demonstrated a fluent understanding and can reason at a greater depth, the children are given opportunities to showcase this learning through problem-solving tasks. The language used in problem-solving, the clues provided within the problems and the written methods that lead them to the problem solutions are discussed deeply and allow the children to apply their mathematical knowledge. Complex problems (particularly in KS2) allow the children to follow a series of multi-steps to solve problems.
Teaching and Assessing Mathematics
At Repton Manor, we currently follow the National Curriculum when planning lessons for our pupils. The Target Tracker assessment system allows teachers to teach the children according to the objectives of the system and thus execute the standards expected within the National Curriculum. We use our knowledge of the children’s ability levels to pitch the lesson appropriately ensuring progression and providing opportunities for a greater depth of understanding. Our teachers make accurate assessments of the children within the lessons through questioning, observations, discussions and marking of the children’s learning, to ensure that all of our children are suitably challenged and make accelerated progress. Mathematics at Repton Manor ensures all ability groups are well planned for and provided with the appropriate challenge. Extension activities, that provide greater opportunities to reason and apply, are a consistent and effective part of maths lessons at Repton Manor.
Targets
Our children also take responsibility for their own learning by having targets for particular aspects of Mathematics. Through our 1-1 termly tutorials, children get to discuss areas for development with their teachers and plan their own targets against an area of mathematical focus. These include improving knowledge of particular timestables, learning written method to aid calculations and solving 1 and 2 step problems for example.
In conclusion
The children within our care benefit from the support of their teachers, their parents and their own positive attitudes towards their mathematical learning. The use of the Mathletics website to allow pupils to access maths learning from home, the learning of times tables to recite multiplication facts and the mathematics home learning provided linked to class learning, allows our pupils to continue to make rapid and sustained progress in mathematics. This is all thanks to the support of our parents, the staff at Repton Manor and the children’s desires to improve their mathematical knowledge.
If you would like to find out any more about our Mathematics in our school, please contact Mr Fenna.