Maths at North Fawdon

The intention of the maths curriculum at North Fawdon Primary School is that children enjoy maths and become confident, skilled mathematicians – making links to real-life.

We strive to embed the skills and processes necessary to enable children to use and apply their Maths learning in a variety of contexts both in and outside the classroom and ensure that Maths is a successful experience for all learners. We follow a whole school mastery approach for maths recognised by the DfE which is underpinned by the 5 big ideas of coherence, representation and structure, mathematical thinking, fluency, and variation. Maths lessons are all aimed at end of year expectations and  structured to promote recall, fluency, develop mental maths skills and problem-solving techniques. We strongly believe that all children CAN be successful in Maths.

We promote resilience in maths so that children are problem-solvers. Growth Mindset is built into lesson planning and referenced by staff throughout the entire curriculum. Each year group completes ‘The Power of Yet’ project each year that teaches history and geography through a focus on growth mindset.

At North Fawdon, we recognise that in order for pupils to progress to deeper and more complex problems, children need to be confident and fluent across each yearly objective. To ensure our pupils acquire a deeper understanding in their mathematical learning journey, we use White Rose Maths scheme to break learning into small steps. This is supplemented by NCETM spine materials to deepen understanding of key maths skills of number, addition subtraction, multiplication and division and fractions. In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, We follow the DFE recognised Mastering Number programme to support children to achieve good number sense. Teachers plan weekly overviews, using a range of resources and publications that support a mastery approach. Teachers’ planning is adapted according to the needs of the children on a day-to-day basis.

As a school we also use Times Table Rockstars for the children to practise their times tables at home and at school.

Daily Maths Lessons involve teachers and teaching assistants who move around the classroom and actively respond, challenge and support children with their learning. Working walls are used to display strategies that are being used and include key vocabulary. Within the daily Maths lesson, chilli challenges are provided to stretch and challenge all abilities and ensure exposure to a mastery curriculum.

Maths meetings are held daily in each year group. They are aimed at developing fluency by allowing frequent practice of basic mental and written calculation skills and KIRFs. Misconceptions and gaps are also addressed in these sessions.

Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract Practical apparatus (including numicon and base 10) and visual models (Bar Model) are integral to classroom practice at North Fawdon, helping children to move from the concrete to pictorial to abstract, and grasp a solid understanding of key maths concepts. At every opportunity, children are encourage to see and make the links between these key concepts and between their learning in Maths.

We also place great importance upon spoken language within Maths lessons and key vocabulary is modelled and shared explicitly with the expectation that children use this when talking about their maths.

Assessment in Mathematics 

At North Fawdon, formative assessment takes place on a daily basis to inform staff about the individual needs and progress of children. Staff adjust future learning accordingly to meet the needs of their class.

In Maths, we use an evidence collection system for maths and times tables to track the progress of each class half-termly and inform teacher assessment. At the end of a unit of work in maths, teachers use White Rose End of Block Assessments to evaluate the learning and progress of individual children. It is through this analysis, teachers are able to identify key skills and knowledge that need additional work and to set targets for future progress. A programme of interventions and booster work is designed to support children to ensure that they are ready to progress and become successful in their learning. All interventions are reviewed termly to ensure they are successful in supporting children’s learning.

We use Cornerstones Assessments termly in maths to support teacher assessments in Years 2-5 and to further identify and address any misconceptions and gaps in learning. In Year 6 we use SATs (Standard Assessment Tests.)

Attainment and outcomes in maths have a prominent focus throughout our school. The teaching of mathematics is monitored frequently by leaders and reviewed each half-term to ensure every child makes progress.