'Even the hardest puzzles have a solution, Maths – makes your life add up!'
At Tywardreath School our vision is to create a safe and stimulating environment where all children feel they belong and are able to challenge themselves, take risks and flourish both academically and socially. To develop our children so that they value and respect their own and others individuality, culture and heritage. We are committed to providing a place of excellence with high standards.
To achieve our vision all our children should:
- Enjoy their primary school years and develop high self-esteem regardless of ‘academic’ ability.
- Feel safe and secure and have a passion for learning and experience success.
- Develop perseverance, flexibility, independence in a wide range of learning skills.
- Be well mannered, respecting themselves, others and the environment.
- Make a positive contribution to the school and the wider community.
- Enjoy equal opportunities to succeed
- Develop lively, inquiring minds and become confident communicators.
- Experience teaching of the highest quality and develop core skills to a high level.
- Appreciate the beauty, the diversity of the world and their duty to protect it.
Intent
At Tywardreath School our Maths curriculum has been developed to ensure that every child has a secure understanding of the foundations and intricacies of mathematics. We believe Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to Science, technology, engineering and life beyond school.
Our aspiration is for our children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. Furthermore, our aim is for every child to see themselves as a mathematician – demonstrating a confident attitude. We therefore aim to provide opportunities to reason mathematically, develop an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and form a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
By entwining calculation, reasoning and problem solving in to a series of lessons, we ensure that secure links are made and that prior knowledge is being assessed and challenged throughout.
Implementation
Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of Maths involves the following:
Practise, Vary, Apply, Challenge
This model will be presented sometimes within a single lesson but mostly throughout a planned sequence of lessons. Evidence is clear within a child’s Maths books.
Practise – During this stage children are given opportunities to practise a skill.
Vary – When children have secured the practise stage they are given opportunities to explore this skill in a variety of different ways.
Apply – Once fluency has been achieved children are encouraged to apply their understanding in real life contexts.
Challenge – Children are given opportunities to deepen their learning through critical thinking and efficient working.
Children are encouraged to ‘have a go’ and independently choose the equipment they need to help them to learn along with the strategies they think are best suited to each problem. Children develop the skills to confidently communicate their reasoning and understanding of Mathematical concepts.
Flashback 4
Flashback 4
At the beginning of every Maths lesson children complete a Flashback 4. This is an opportunity for children to recall prior and current knowledge in the form of 4 quiz style questions.
KIRFS (Key Instant Recall Facts)
As fluency is a fundamental part of Mathematics, we have placed a great emphasis on children acquiring and recalling key mathematical facts. To achieve this we have implemented KIRFS to ensure the opportunity to practise recalling these key facts e.g. number bonds, time, multiples. We build upon the skill development of previous years to ensure progression throughout the school.
As fluency is a fundamental part of Mathematics, we have placed a great emphasis on children acquiring and recalling key mathematical facts. To achieve this we have implemented KIRFS to ensure the opportunity to practise recalling these key facts e.g. number bonds, time, multiples. We build upon the skill development of previous years to ensure progression throughout the school.
Times Tables
At Tywardreath School, we encourage rapid recall of times tables and division facts with verbal and practical demonstration of skills and understanding. There is a focus on using a CPA (concrete, pictorial and abstract) approach to times tables, following these steps.
At Tywardreath School, we encourage rapid recall of times tables and division facts with verbal and practical demonstration of skills and understanding. There is a focus on using a CPA (concrete, pictorial and abstract) approach to times tables, following these steps.
- Counting in steps.
- Using objects as ‘lots’
- Repeated addition
- Multiplication is commutative
- Multiplication is the inverse of division
- Fact families
- Ordering of multiples introduces
- Teach efficient strategies.
Times tables RockStars (TTRS)
Times Tables Rockstars is used in Years 2-6 as an engaging platform to support and encourage times table practice at home and school. Y4-6 begin each maths lesson with a 10 minute TTRS practice and throughout the year we host a TTRS competition between classes.
Numbots
Numbots is used throughout KS1 and KS2. Numbots is used as a fluency practice and for the consolidation of number bonds, addition and subtraction. Throughout the year we host Numbots days to reinvigorate the enthusiasm for maths.
Impact
The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. We have fostered an environment where Maths is fun and it is ‘okay to be wrong’ because the journey to finding an answer is most important. Our Maths books are evidenced with a range of activities showing clear progression through PVAC cycle. Our feedback and interventions support children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be ensuring a greater proportion of children are on track.
The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. We have fostered an environment where Maths is fun and it is ‘okay to be wrong’ because the journey to finding an answer is most important. Our Maths books are evidenced with a range of activities showing clear progression through PVAC cycle. Our feedback and interventions support children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be ensuring a greater proportion of children are on track.
Before each unit is taught children's prior knowledge is assessed using White Rose pre unit assessments. This assesses children's knowledge of previously taught units and allows Teachers to plan accurately by addressing gaps in learning and ensuring pupil's knowledge is being built on in a sequenced and progressive manner.
At the end of each unit pupil's are assessed using White Rose end of unit assessment. This feeds into our additional coaching where children may receive intervention to address any current gaps in learning.
Each term we use NFER assessments to inform our judgements of children's attainment and progress.