Woodcote Primary School

Introduction

We believe every child can be successful in maths. Our aim is to facilitate highly effective teaching and learning that is practical, challenging and engaging, whilst supporting children on their journey towards mastery. Every adult has the highest expectations of the children, and as such, expects all children to attain high standards. Children are expected to develop a deep understanding of a concept through mathematical reasoning before progressing to the next level.  

The National Curriculum identifies three main aims in the primary phase:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. 
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language 
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions

At Woodcote Primary School we aim to ensure that conceptual, pictorial, and abstract (CPA) understanding is integrated into lessons alongside procedural and factual fluency. We believe that maths does not rely on rote learning of facts and procedures without the underlying understanding required to use them effectively. There is a focus on number and calculation from the beginning.

We aim to promote positive attitudes towards maths as we believe there is a link between success, confidence and enjoyment.  We strive to develop our children into self-motivated learners who are able to use and apply mathematics in a wide range of situations. We recognise that mathematics is uniquely powerful in helping children to make sense of, and describe, our world and in enabling them to solve problems.

Scheme of Work 

We follow White Rose Maths (WRM). This is a mastery approach to the teaching of Mathematics whereby topics are taught in depth over a longer period.  This allows for the mastering of concepts before moving on to the next sequence. This we believe paves the way for children to be secure in what they have learnt. Click here to access the WRM progression document.

Calculation Policy

Under the new maths curriculum (2014) the expectation is “By the end of year 6, pupils should be fluent in written methods for all 4 operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages.” We follow the White Rose Calculation Policy when introducing key concepts.  

Teaching and Learning

Teachers in all year groups plan using the White Rose scheme as the basis of their lessons, supplemented with other resources as appropriate. When planning a lesson, teachers need to plan for a balance of conceptual understanding, language and communication and mathematical thinking to support children’s mathematical problem solving. If a pupil has meaningful understanding of the maths they are learning, they will be able to represent it in different ways, use mathematical language to communicate related ideas and think mathematically with the concept. This will enable them to apply their understanding to a new problem in an unfamiliar situation.

Early Years

We aim daily for short adult-led focused inputs which can either be for the whole class or groups. This does not have to be formal and can include number rhymes, songs, and games as well as suggested prompts for learning from WRM. The children also have regular opportunities to practise their counting and subitising skills and revisit prior learning.

These inputs can be followed up with short adult-led activities 2/3 times each week. Opportunities to practise new skills through play are encouraged in different areas of the provision either independently or with adult support.

Fluency, Reasoning and Problem-Solving

Fluency - Pupils should be able to recall and apply mathematical knowledge both rapidly and accurately.  However, it is important to stress that fluency often gets confused for just memorisation – it is far more than this. Pupils should be able to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics.

Reasoning - The way pupils speak and write about mathematics transforms their learning. Mastery approaches, such as White Rise, use a carefully sequenced, structured approach to introduce and reinforce mathematical vocabulary. Pupils explain the mathematics in full sentences. They should be able to say not just what the answer is, but how they know it’s right. This is key to building mathematical language and reasoning skills.

Problem-Solving - Mathematical concepts are explored in a variety of representations and problem-solving contexts to give pupils a richer and deeper learning experience. Pupils combine different concepts to solve complex problems, and apply knowledge to real-life situations.

Times Tables

Woodcote Primary School recognises the importance of children’s number fluency. Pupils should be able to recall and apply mathematical knowledge both rapidly and accurately. Learning times tables is an essential part of mathematical education. Children who have mastered their tables gain a solid foundation in mathematics that will help them throughout their progression within the subject.

The DfE introduced the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in 2017. This statutory assessment takes place in June each year. Children at Woodcote are prepared to take this test through discrete taught times tables lessons which focus on conceptual understanding.

Please see our Times Tables Policy below for further information. Pupils in KS2 have access to Times Table Rockstars to practise their tables at home. Pupils in KS1 have access to NumBots to support in their fluency skills.