Maths
Curriculum Intent
Wooburn Green Primary School intends that all its pupils should develop the essential numerical and reasoning skills that will enable pupils to understand the modern technological world and communicate and succeed within it. We intend all pupils to progressively develop the ability to think in abstract ways and solve mathematical problems, including developing competence in reading and understanding the technical and formal language used in posing problems. We intend that pupils will develop automaticity of recall and fluency when using simple number facts to assist in solving problems, in order to allow working memory to be used to continue reasoning. Through exposure to examples of how mathematics can help us learn about the world, and how it can support creativity, we intend pupils to learn to value and enjoy maths. We intend children to develop an awareness of how different cultures have contributed to the development and application of mathematics and how the subject transcends cultural boundaries.
Curriculum Content
Each year group covers several National Curriculum objectives in each strand of Maths over the course of the school year.
For information regarding the national standards for early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile early learning goals (ELGs) in Maths, click here.
National Curriculum programmes of study for KS1 and KS2
For information on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for Mathematics for KS1 and KS2, please click here.
Curriculum Implementation
At Wooburn Green Primary school, we use a maths mastery approach to teaching mathematics. The key ideas behind this are:
- Every child can succeed at maths (including SEND children).
- This is best achieved by working together on learning one small step at a time, supporting and challenging children as necessary during lessons.
- Carefully structured activities developing maths topics over long units will maximise all children’s learning of key maths concepts.
- Concrete experience of mathematical concepts through hands-on work and real-life examples of maths problem-solving is the basis for deep understanding.
- This is known as the CPA approach – concrete, pictorial, abstract. Understanding developed through concrete experience can be represented in pictures and diagrams, and finally in abstract maths symbols (Example: First, Terry had two kittens. Then he got one more. How many kittens does he have now? This problem might be posed with soft toys, then pictures of kittens used, then simple marks on paper to represent each one, and finally the abstract symbols 2 + 1 = 3).
- A variety of representations of maths ideas is essential to a developing a deep understanding which can be confidently and successfully applied in many contexts – the definition of maths mastery.
To help achieve coherence of learning from year to year, teachers’ planning is guided by the White Rose maths scheme, used widely across the country. This ensures small steps across one year match and develop those of the previous and successive years. It also helps to ensure a wide variety of representations which build on each other year by year. Details and links are below.
In addition to this, children are given time within and outside maths lessons to learn vital number facts - addition and subtraction / multiplication and division. Automatic recall of these facts is seen by us as a crucial step to children being able to solve sophisticated maths problems; when they do not have to think about a times table fact or the difference between two digits, they can devote more of their brain power to reasoning about the problem and solve it more reliably. Children should know all their times tables by the end of Year 4.
Key Curriculum Documents
Below are links to overviews of each year's learning in the White Rose Maths scheme, and to a presentation giving an overview of maths at Wooburn Green.
You can also find the in-depth Schemes of Learning for each year here.
Curriculum Impact
Our children make good progress during their time at Wooburn Green Primary School. Our Key Stage Two outcomes demonstrate that the majority of pupils achieve age related expectations in maths and the school's performance is in line with national figures and on an improving trajectory. Written work in children's learning books demonstrates that children are accessing a high quality maths curriculum and are successful in their learning.
Our children enjoy maths and are able to talk about our marking policy and how it is used to help them to succeed in their learning.
Assessment information
Teachers are constantly assessing children during lessons, based on their answers to questions and their practical and written work, in order to maximise their learning.
When children show signs of problems with understanding, they will be given extra help during or after that lesson, in order to make sure they are ready for the next step.
If most of a class is having difficulty with a concept, the teacher will adapt their planning to spend more time on that idea before moving on to the next step.
For children who are often showing signs of difficulty, pre-teaching (a short lesson before the main maths lesson of the day, priming children for what is to come) will be used to ensure these children make the most of maths lessons, rather than sit confused in them.
When assessment during lessons shows children are ready for it, children will often be offered more challenging work where they have the chance to use concepts in more complex contexts.
Children are tested once a term using the PIXL assessments used across the GLT and widely amongst other schools. This enables us to closely monitor the progress of children. It also helps inform us of any children who need extra reinforcement of concepts we have already covered but they have not yet mastered.
In addition, the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 SATS in Year 2 and Year 6 give us valuable insight into how maths learning in the school is developing over time.
Useful Links
In-depth information about the mastery approach to maths learning
Parents' guide at White Rose Education
Advice and guidance for parents | White Rose Maths (whiteroseeducation.com)