St Aldhelm’s Maths Curriculum Intent

• Use the mastery principle that all children can be mathematicians who can progress, succeed and achieve to meet mathematical expectations and beyond. 
• Create accurate fluent mathematicians who have an ability to resiliently tackle problem-solving and who can reflectively explain their reasoning.
• Make learning inspiring and challenging by offering real-life mathematical opportunities which progress fluidly between Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract concepts using different strategies including models and Techniques for Success.   

Maths at St Aldhelm’s follows the mastery model which has the belief that with good teaching, appropriate resources, effort and a ‘can do’ attitude, all children can achieve in and enjoy mathematics.   We focus on depth and application for all children rather than breadth or moving children onto following year group’s coverage. In mathematics, we know when a child has mastered something when they can apply it to a totally new problem in an unfamiliar situation.

Our Curriculum Design follows the White Rose Yearly Overviews (see document below) from Reception to Year 6 to ensure a broad and balanced mathematics curriculum which is consistent, carefully structured and sequenced and where each area of maths is valued and takes an appropriate amount of time. The length of time spent on each area of maths may vary within Key Stage 2. This is due to our class structure and the agreement that the mixed year group classes are taught separately for maths Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week. The subsequent maths lessons that take place in class when the children remain in their mixed age classes will be consolidation of WR areas already covered. This may mean further depth into reasoning and problem-solving, extended fluency to ensure understanding and ensuring children are meeting the Ready To Progress Criteria.

Children work on fluency, reasoning and problem-solving across the course of a project and opportunities to apply their skills in cross curricular areas.    

We use guided Group Work with flexible groupings.  The teacher works with all groups across the course of the week.   Children move around based upon their current needs.  Lessons may not follow the traditional ‘three part lesson’ format but are based upon assessment for learning information.  They may use the ‘I do’, ‘We do’ and ‘You Do’ structure.  

Prove it activities are used to allow children to independently rehearse and apply their skills after a period of not working on that skill; build a wide evidence base and to allow misconceptions to be seen and plugged on the same day and for children to apply the following day.

Children spend an amount of time practising and consolidating skills in  number for home learning. We use the online websites Numbots and Times Table Rockstars to support this learning.