Mathematics

Intent 

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, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. 

At The Bridge Federation we aim to nurture and develop our children so that they become confident mathematicians.  We endeavour to not only develop the mathematics skills and understanding required for later life, but also an enthusiasm and fascination about and enjoyment of mathematics itself.  

We foster a growth mindset approach to mathematics in order that children see themselves as mathematicians, developing resilience and resourcefulness across the subject.  Children are encouraged to make mistakes in a safe and secure environment and are supported to discuss these misconceptions with their peers and staff alike.   

We aim for our children to be fluent mathematicians and to increase their confidence in mathematics so they are able to express themselves and their ideas using the language of maths with assurance.  Mathematics helps children to grow their problem solving and logic skills within an interconnected subject and the concepts help children to understand and solve a variety of problems both in academic and real life situations.   

We are continually aiming to raise the standards of achievement of everyone at the school, not only the children but the staff too, through ongoing staff CPD. 

Implementation

We follow ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Mathematics 2014’ and the ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021 - Mathematics’. 

We adopt a mastery approach to teaching mathematics so that children acquire a deep, long term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject.  We do this by following the White Rose Maths curriculum, which is an ambitious and connected curriculum accessible to all our children from Reception to the end of Year 6.  Not only does it cover the content of the National Curriculum and Framework for EYFS, but also provides pedagogic advice for teachers. 

The White Rose Maths scheme sequences learning in progressive small steps and recognises the importance of developing factual, procedural and conceptual knowledge. The blocks of learning are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but learning provides rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. 

Additional high quality teaching resources are used to support learning, for example from the NCETM and Oxford Owl Teaching for Mastery.   

Children are taught through clear modelling and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts using concrete objects, mathematical manipulatives, pictures, words and numbers.  This C-P-A approach helps children, at all levels, explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience, deepen understanding and enable them to move fluently between different representations of mathematical ideas: 

  C - Concrete : children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them 

                       understand and explain what they are doing. 

  P - Pictorial :   children then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can

                       then be used to reason and solve problems. 

  A - Abstract :  with the foundations firmly laid, children can move to an abstract approach using numbers

                       and key concepts with confidence. 

Proficiency in recall of key number facts, including multiplication tables, is developed through explicit teaching with daily sessions of deliberate practice, mental starters and online learning platforms. 

The expectation is that the majority of children will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress are based on the security of children’s understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Children who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. 

Daily mathematics lessons are inclusive to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Where required, children’s support plans incorporate suitable objectives from the National Curriculum for Mathematics and teachers keep these in mind when planning work. These targets may be worked upon within the lesson as well as on a 1:1 basis outside the mathematics lesson. 

Teachers know whether children are on track to meet end of year expectations through the use of AFL strategies and summative assessments.  Misconceptions or a lack of understanding of a skill or concept is quickly identified and planning is adapted and focused intervention is deployed as needed to help children with gaps in their learning and mathematical understanding.   

Impact

By the time the children leave our Federation they will have become confident mathematicians, who enjoy the subject and are able to build on their skills as they enter key stage three.  They develop quick recall of facts and have the fluency to apply their knowledge and skill in a range of contexts; they can articulate explanations and reasoning both orally and through written recordings; they understand that it is ok to make mistakes because the journey to finding the correct solution is most important.   

Evidence from pupil interviews, work scrutiny, lesson observations and assessment data shows that our children have a good understanding and remember the mathematical knowledge, concepts and procedures to ensure readiness for the next stage of their learning, be it the next lesson, block of work, year or key stage.