Maths 

Intent

At New Moston Primary School our intent is to develop our pupil’s ability to reason mathematically, problem solve and develop fluency and conceptual understanding in each strand of the curriculum making them fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics. Our pupils will be encouraged to carry this out with resilience so that they are fully prepared for the future.

It is also intended that all children, regardless of their starting point, will maximise their academic achievement and leave New Moston Primary School with an appreciation and enthusiasm for Maths. We want them to know that maths is essential to everyday life and enable them to become confident mathematicians who are not afraid to take risks.

At the core of our curriculum is the concrete, pictorial and abstract approach to maths. The children are taught and encouraged to explain their choice of methods and develop their mathematical reasoning. We intend to deliver a curriculum that allows pupils to be part of creative and engaging lessons allowing them to explore maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their workings. Whilst doing this we encourage resilience, perseverance and an acceptance that struggle is often a necessary step in learning. We give each pupil a chance to believe in themselves as mathematicians. We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects by using a cross curricular approach to learning.

To achieve our intent, we provide a rich, balanced and progressive curriculum which caters the needs of all pupils and entitles them to the same quality of teaching and learning opportunities, striving to achieve their potential whilst recognising that maths underpins much of our daily lives.

Implementation

To ensure full National Curriculum coverage, the school has implemented the White Rose Scheme. This provides a long term progression plan which ensures continuity and progression in the teaching of mathematics.

Daily maths lessons always include fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations are consistently used in EYFS and Key Stage 1 and are being developed into Key Stage 2 in order to support conceptual  understanding and to make links across topics.

In Early Years Foundation Stage, we relate the mathematical aspects of the children’s work to the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals, as set out in the EYFS  profile document. Mathematics development involves providing children with opportunities to  develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers; calculating  simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, space, and measures.

Children will develop their understanding through planned, purposeful play and through a

mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.

EYFS use Number Blocks as well as Master the Curriculum to support maths learning.

Lessons in Years 1 to 6 are taught according to the White Rose long term curriculum plans, but also according  to any gaps identified through termly assessments.

Our implementation is developed through secure understanding of the curriculum and

Subject area.

Using prior knowledge and ongoing formative assessment as a starting point for all future planning and teaching, we plan lessons using White Rose to enable all pupils to make good progress.

We place a large emphasis on pupil engagement and design lessons which involve all pupils  being invested in their learning and making a positive contribution to their lessons.

The maths team, alongside every class teacher and teaching assistant has responsibility for  the progress of all children in maths throughout school. Working with SLT, key data is  analysed and regular feedback is provided and discussed at pupil progress meetings to inform on progress and future actions.

Impact

The impact of the mathematics curriculum at New Moston Primary School is that children  are given the skills to be numerate and understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real life  concepts. Children know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely on in many areas

of their daily life. Children have a positive view of maths due to learning in an environment  where maths is promoted as being an exciting and enjoyable subject in which they can  investigate and ask questions; they know that it is OK to make mistakes and that this can  strengthen their learning because the journey to finding an answer is most important. The  vast majority of children are confident to ‘have a go’ and choose the equipment they need to  help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem. Our  children have a good understanding of their strengths in maths and what they need to do to  improve. Our maths books evidence work of a high standard; the range of activities demonstrate good coverage of fluency, reasoning and problem solving.

National Numeracy Day May 2023

Today New Moston celebrated #Nationalnumeracyday.

The children joined in with a live event starring Katya Jones (Strictly Come Dancing star) and Bobby Seagull (Maths expert). 

They joined in with dancing and quizzes. 

The classes all took part in numeracy activities. Year 5 and 6 competed in Who Wants to be a Millionaire (no money changed hands!), quizzes and entered a #nationalnumeracyday competition. They also played card games and dominoes-both good to use our maths skills.

It was a day where we learnt that although maths may worry some people, through practice everyone has the potential to be a maths expert.