Maths

Intent
At Dormanstown, we recognise that mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to
reason mathematically, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

Learning maths and the language of mathematics is a little like learning a foreign language. All the pieces need to connect and fit together for something to make sense as a whole. As children become fluent in the language of mathematics and become increasingly able to reason and explain their thinking mathematically, they become increasingly able to solve problems in a range of contexts, noting connections between areas of maths and proving their answers by using a wide range of mathematical thinking.

Implementation

· To create a lively, exciting and stimulating environment in which the children can learn maths
· To promote the concept that acquiring maths knowledge and skills provides the foundation for understanding the world around the children
· To encourage children to use mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain
· To allow time for partner talk in order to stimulate and develop a curiosity for maths
· To challenge children to stretch themselves and take risks in their learning
· To create a sense of awe and wonder surrounding maths
· To ensure children in Key Stage 1 are secure in their understanding of number and number relationships and
· To deliver maths in line with new National Curriculum guidelines.

In the Foundation Stage

Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers up to 10, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shape, spaces and measures.
When planning to support mathematics, leaders, managers and practitioners need to reflect on the ways in which children learn and ensure both provision and practice are informed by this. The revised framework emphasises the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning first identified in the principles into practice cards 4.1- 4.3 of the Statutory Framework (2008):
● playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
● active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
● creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

At Key Stage 1

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in Key Stage 1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This should involve working with numerals, words and the four operations, including with practical resources (e.g. concrete objects and measuring tools).

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Teaching should also involve using a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity/volume, time and money.

By the end of Year 2, pupils should know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis on practice at this early stage will aid fluency. Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at Key Stage 1.

In Lower Key Stage 2

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in lower Key Stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. This should ensure that pupils develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers.

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value. Teaching should also ensure that pupils draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. It should ensure that they can use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number.

By the end of Year 4, pupils should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 times table and show precision and fluency in their work. Pupils should read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing word reading knowledge and their knowledge of spelling.

In Upper Key Stage 2

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in upper Key Stage 2 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. This should develop the connections that pupils make between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio.

At this stage, pupils should develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation. With this foundation in arithmetic, pupils are introduced
to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems. Teaching in geometry and measures should consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number. Teaching should also ensure that pupils classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and that they learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.

By the end of Year 6, pupils should be fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages. Pupils should read, spell and pronounce mathematical vocabulary correctly.

• TVEd Maths Long Term Plan Download
• Tees Valley Education Maths Policy Download
• What does Maths look like for your child at Dormanstown? Download