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Maths

Mathematics is an important creative discipline that helps us to understand and change the world. We want all pupils at The Radstone Primary School to experience the power and enjoyment of Mathematics and develop a sense of curiosity about the subject with a clear understanding.

“In Maths, the journey is as important as the destination." - Unknown

Curriculum Intent

At The Radstone, we foster positive ‘can do’ attitudes and we promote the fact that ‘We can all do Maths!’ We believe all children can achieve in Mathematics, and teach for secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts through manageable steps. We use mistakes and misconceptions as an essential part of learning and provide challenge through rich and sophisticated problems.

At our school, the children will spend time becoming true masters of content, applying and being creative with new knowledge in multiple ways. We believe a pupil really understands a mathematical concept, idea or technique if they can describe it in their own words; represent it in a variety of ways; explain it to someone else; make up their own examples (and non-examples) of it; see connections between it and other facts or ideas; recognise it in new situations and contexts and make use of it in various ways, including in new situations.

We aim for all pupils to:

become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

be able to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios.

reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.

have an appreciation of number and number operations, which enables mental calculations and written procedures to be performed efficiently, fluently and accurately to be successful in mathematics.

Implementation

We ensure that the Teaching for Mastery approach (coherence, variation, mathematical thinking, careful use of representations and structures) is fully embedded in our Maths teaching. Our progression framework (taken from Power Maths, White Rose Edition) ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Maths lessons are broken down into small, sequenced learning steps that gradually expose the mathematical concept; ensuring learning is accessible to all children. We use varied concrete, pictorial and abstract representations alongside each other to carefully expose the mathematical structure and ensure our children can move flexibly between different representations and mathematical ideas. Each lesson will provide opportunities for the children to reason and solve mathematical problems. Challenge is visible throughout the whole session, where children are asked to reason and prove their understanding at a deeper secure level.

Independent learning activities will include three main elements: Do it! Twist it! and Deepen it!
Do it! activities focus on ‘what it is’. The children will solve standard and non-standard examples.
Twist it! activities focus on ‘What it is not’ to address misconceptions.
Deepen it! activities focus on solving problems, applying knowledge and making connections.

Impact

We expect that the majority of pupils will progress through the programmes of study at a similar pace. Our goal is for each child to be confident in yearly objectives, developing a deeper understanding to solve varied fluency problems, as well as problem-solving and reasoning questions. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged with sophisticated problems before moving on to new content, while those needing more time consolidate their understanding with additional practice.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we prioritize early mathematical experiences, focusing on establishing a strong foundation in number skills. We utilize the Mastering Number programme to systematically teach essential skills, ensuring a seamless transition to the National Curriculum in Year 1.

The primary Early Learning Goals (ELGs) for mathematics are:

ELG Number

Develop a deep understanding of numbers up to 10, including the composition of each number.

Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.

Automatically recall number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

ELG Numerical Patterns

Verbally count beyond 20, recognizing the pattern of the counting system.

Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, identifying when one quantity is greater than, less than, or the same as another quantity.

Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts, and how quantities can be equally distributed.

Our teachers design creative and engaging opportunities that spark children's curiosity and enthusiasm for mathematics. The focus is on the three prime areas: Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED). Activities and experiences are diverse and frequent, allowing children to build upon and apply their understanding of numbers up to 10. Sessions emphasize the use of concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations such as Tens Frames and Part/Whole Models. Children are encouraged to use mathematical terminology, fostering positive attitudes and interest in the subject.

Additionally, our curriculum provides rich opportunities for children to develop spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics, including shape, space, and measures. It is crucial for children to develop positive attitudes towards mathematics, seek patterns and relationships, make connections, experiment, discuss observations with adults and peers, and embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. We offer various opportunities for exploring spatial reasoning and explicitly teach these concepts to provide a solid foundation for Year 1.