Mathematics

'I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.'

Philippians 4:13

Mission Statement

Our mission is to work to develop the full potential of each individual in an environment where the Gospel values of love, peace, truth and justice are lived out.

The Aims of Maths at St Mary’s are:

• To enable all pupils to become confident mathematicians
• To promote enjoyment of maths and working with numbers
• To help pupils to develop the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
• To ensure that pupils can reason mathematically and solve problems
• To broaden children’s knowledge and understanding of how mathematics is used in the wider world

Implementation

Mathematics at St Mary’s, is planned and sequenced using small steps which ensure clear progression, allowing time and opportunities for pupils to fully master an objective before moving on to the next, logical step. Our Maths curriculum is implemented through the resources of White Rose Maths, which are tailored to our pupil's needs with additional depth provided by the NCETM. Our curriculum is designed to ensure careful cumulative coverage, with a taught focus on the connectivity of mathematical concepts applied throughout the school year, with precise sequencing of taught knowledge and skills to enable strong progression for all pupils. Our cumulative and in-depth application of the curriculum allows our pupils to develop a more profound depth of understanding and application, as they build on previous learning while engaging with challenging and meaningful tasks.

Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention. The focus on a mastery approach to Mathematics ensures that pupils acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. Practice and consolidation play a central role. Carefully designed variation within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts.

Daily fluency sessions in Key Stage 2 ensure previous learning is regularly revisited whilst classes in Key Stage One and EYFS participate in the Mastering Number scheme, with short, fluency sessions four times a week. We believe that our daily fluency sessions, in addition to our math lessons, promote confident mathematical fluency.

Cultural Capital

The nature of mathematics and using number in real life contexts enables all the children at St Mary’s to develop the cultural capital they need to succeed and prosper economically in later life. The cultural experiences and knowledge the children gain through the mathematics curriculum will enable the children to play a full and active part in society in later life. Practical, transferable life skills such as telling the time, weighing and measuring, calculating with money will stay with children throughout their lives and prepare them for their place in society. The many and varied opportunities the children have been given through all their cross-curricular work enables them to have a rich experience of maths and its importance in our daily lives.

British Values

The mathematics curriculum promotes the British values of tolerance and resilience on a daily basis through problem solving and understanding of complex concepts, encouraging students to persevere and try different methods to arrive at a correct solution.  Teamwork through peer assessment and group work underpins the schemes of learning in the maths faculty. Students work together in all areas of the maths curriculum to support each other and build mutual respect for one another. Students are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them in all maths lessons. This fosters confidence and builds self-esteem, it encourages students to take risks and become lifelong learners whilst using their mathematical skills in all aspects of life.

Useful websites and resources

• As a school we subscribe to both Times Table Rockstars and Numbots. All pupils have log in details for these programmes and they can be accessed from home:

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/2041

https://play.numbots.com/#/account/school-login/2041

• We use Purple Mash in school and all children can access this at home. There are lots of fun Maths games and activities on this site:

https://www.purplemash.com/sch/stmaryssk16

• The White Rose Maths app ‘1-Minute Maths’ is available on most mobile devices. No log in or account is required. Using the app, children can practice everything from subitising to practising the four operations. Find out more here:

https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/1-minute-maths

• At Third Space Learning, you can download helpful packs of resources to support learning in the curriculum or to help to develop times tables knowledge and recall.

https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/home-learning-resources/

• BBC Bitesize has a range of helpful videos and activities for all year groups in Key Stage 2:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z826n39