Mathematics

Mathematics

Aims for our Pupils:

Our Mathematics curriculum aims to provide our children with a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. 

Mathematics lessons at Repton Manor Primary School:

Our children are provided with the opportunities to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.  These skills are an integral part of each Mathematics unit of work and the different skills are often practised within each lesson.

Fluency:

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. For each concept, we encourage our children to ‘build it, draw it, solve it’.  They build the concept using resources, draw it pictorially and then use this understanding to solve the given problem.  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 times-table skills at Repton Manor and the children actively seek to learn their multiplication facts to earn multiplication table bands.

Reasoning:

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 level to showcase their knowledge more deeply.

Applying:

When the children have demonstrated a fluent understanding and can reason at a greater level, they 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 allow the children to follow a series of multi-steps to solve problems.

Teaching and Assessing Mathematics:

At Repton Manor Primary School, we follow the National Curriculum when planning lessons for our children. 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 level of understanding. Our teachers make accurate assessments of the children within lessons, through questioning, observations, discussions and marking the children’s learning, to ensure that all of our children are suitably challenged and that all make accelerated progress. Mathematics at Repton Manor Primary School ensures that children of all ability groups are well planned for and are provided with the appropriate level of 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 take responsibility for their own learning by having targets for particular aspects of Mathematics. Through our 1-1 termly tutorials, children discuss areas for development with their teachers and plan their own targets. These may include targets such as: improving their knowledge of a particular times table, learning a written method to aid calculations, using drawings to greater effect when problem solving, learning how to use a certain manipulative or improving their skills in solving 1 and 2 step problems.

Teaching of Mathematics in the Early Years Foundation Stage:

Children in Foundation Stage also have opportunities to ‘build it’, ‘draw it’ and solve practical problems. Their mathematical development is supported through adult directed tasks and through child-initiated opportunities. Practitioners enhance the learning environment to inspire the children to solve mathematical problems. Each classroom also has maths resources for the children to access and to use. The staff plan for mathematical opportunities in all areas of the classroom and the outdoor environment, for example measuring tapes in the construction area, large balance scales outside, timers for the bikes and calendars in each classroom.

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. Our children do not stop learning Mathematics when they leave the school gates – Mathematics is all around them.  At home, the use of the Mathletics website to allow pupils to access exciting Maths learning from home, the learning of times tables to quickly recall multiplication facts and the completion of weekly Mathematics Home Learning tasks which link to class learning, allow 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 Primary School 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 Mrs Chambers and Mrs Moss.