Mathematics

In Mathematics, we are committed to enabling all of our children to use their knowledge and understanding of Mathematics confidently in a way that promotes creativity, curiosity and excitement about the subject and the wider world in which they live.

Through the implementation of the National Curriculum programmes of study for each year group, lessons are sequenced to ensure that children are continuously building on skills that have been taught before. This enables pupils to work towards using and applying these skills in many aspects of everyday life, further education and employment. 

Mathematics - Our Vision

In mathematics, we are committed to enabling all of our children to use their knowledge and understanding of mathematics confidently in a way that promotes creativity, curiosity and excitement about the subject and the wider world in which they live.  

Maths is a basic skill that is required in everyday life. A strong mathematical knowledge provides a way of viewing and making sense of the world. We want the  children at South Hylton to learn how to be mathematical thinkers and to confidently apply their Maths skills in a wide range of contexts.  We want them to know how Maths is important for living in modern Britain and so that they see the importance of developing these skills.

The teaching of maths starts within the early years provision with our youngest children ‘The Explorers’ where the children learn mathematical concepts through play, songs, rhymes, stories and real life experiences. We understand that introducing maths from an early age not only supports the development in number, but it also supports the children with problem solving skills, spatial awareness, patterns and shapes and measures. Mathematics within early years is motivating and engaging based on children's interests and linked to real life experiences. 

When preparing our ‘Explorers’ for nursery we deliver a curriculum that 

• uses songs, rhymes and stories to encourage children to understand number and mathematical concepts.

• have a curriculum and provision that has a good balance of child led and adult led lessons and activities

• Provide some opportunities for subitising when the children are ready

• Prioritise daily counting through play and songs and rhymes

• Provide real life and play based experiences for children so maths is part of daily life.

When the children start Nursery they continue their learning journey, building on the experiences in ‘The explorers’ and the pre- school mathematics curriculum follows a mastery approach to support their understanding of number, shape and pattern.

• Using songs, rhymes and stories to support mathematical understanding and vocabulary.

• Continue to develop the children's understanding and vocabulary through a balance of adult led and child led learning.

• Provide regular opportunity for subitising within adult led activities, within play and child led learning

• Daily counting (including counting physical objects and actions, through routines and daily activities)

• Provide real life and play based mathematical experiences within the daily routines and lessons 

When leaving nursery and moving into reception the children will build on previous learning and

• will have a mastery approach curriculum that embeds mathematical thinking and talk.

• High quality, daily maths lessons using mastering number 

• Regular opportunities for counting and reciting numbers within daily routines and practices

• Opportunity for subitising within teacher led and child led activities

• will have opportunities to develop reasoning and problem solving, thinking about ways to solve and tackle problems

• Opportunities to learn about number, number facts, pattern, shape and measures through both adult and child led activities.

In Key Stage 1 the children

• follow the mastery approach using NCETM within daily maths lessons

• Daily sessions following mastering number to develop recall and fluency

• they have access to a range of practical resources to encourage understanding and calculation throughout lessons and within child led learning activities

• regular counting opportunities to develop number pattern awareness and fluency, throughout lessons and within daily routines

• memory jogger sessions start part way through year 1, where children access previous learning to support memory and prepare for future learning

• access to mathematics interventions when needed

When moving into Key stage 2 the children continue to build on previous knowledge from early years and key stage 1. We aim to continue to deepen the children's understanding of number and place value and pupils are taught to become more proficient when calculating and solving mathematical problems linked to the four operations. In KS2 with children becoming more confident with recall of facts they are taught to solve problems across a range of contexts. They continue to use the mastery approach to learning and CPA to support their understanding and reasoning. The children continue to develop their mathematical vocabulary and use sentence stems to explain their mathematical understanding and justify their reasons. 

In lower key stage 2 

• follow the mastery approach using NCETM within daily maths lessons

• Daily sessions to develop recall and fluency using mastering number in autumn term (year 3) and then count it, know it, learn it sessions to develop recall of facts and learning how to apply these in different style questions

• they have access to a range of practical resources to encourage understanding and calculation throughout lessons

• Sessions to develop arithmetic throughout the week, supporting children to work at their own level with support when needed

• regular counting opportunities to develop number pattern awareness and fluency, throughout lessons and within daily routines

• memory jogger sessions daily, where children access previous learning to support memory and prepare for future learning

• access to mathematics interventions when needed

Throughout KS2 the children develop their understanding of number, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, there is a bigger emphasis on formal and mental methods. They also continue to deepen their understanding about shape, time, fractions and measures. By Year 6, children will be confident with manipulating numbers up to 10,000,000. Their understanding of number is extended to include percentages, ratio and algebra. Children will be taught to accurately carry out more complex, formal written methods.

Throughout  key stage 1 and 2 the children have the opportunity to recall and revisit fundamental skills using online platforms such as TT rockstars and Numbots. These programmes support learning within school and at home and provide the children with the opportunity to develop rapid recall to support them within maths lessons. 

Maths is a subject that the children enjoy at South Hylton, they enjoy daily maths lessons and accessing online platforms within school and at home.  The children have the opportunity to develop mathematical skills within the wider curriculum, and the children particularly  enjoy maths when taking part in outdoor learning days, trips and visits and maths within other curriculum areas.

Impact

The impact of the maths curriculum at South Hylton is evidenced through learning outcomes in books, children’s ability to explain and reason their thinking, discussions with children and the use of assessment tests. When visiting lessons and talking to the children at South Hylton, the children will be able to explain what they are learning and what they have been learning using mathematical vocabulary.

Throughout daily lessons the children are encouraged to self and peer mark and with live marking throughout the lesson the children are encouraged to self evaluate and identify strengths and areas for development. Children are encouraged to share and discuss their misconceptions together as a class, allowing them to learn from the explanations of their peers. Sentence stems and generalisations are used within daily lessons, along with key vocabulary, to encourage children to use mathematical language when explaining, justifying and evidencing their thinking.

By the end of KS2 pupils should be able to:

• Demonstrate quick recall of facts and procedures,

• Use flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations,

• Independently apply their skills to find the answers,

• Recognise relationships and make relevant connections in mathematics.

Teachers are encouraged to use their professional judgement, so that children are given sufficient time to learn and embed each area of maths before progressing to a different domain.