Maths Curriculum Intent
At Twelve Apostles, an aim of our Mission Statement is ‘to recognise that each child is unique and to ensure that each child is educated to fulfil their human potential.’ Our Maths curriculum embodies this by maintaining high expectations for all pupils whilst recognising individual strengths and needs. Our curriculum also aims to equip children with the tools they require to solve real-world problems using their mathematical knowledge to understand a rapidly changing modern world of Science and Technology.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that all children:
At Twelve Apostles, these skills are embedded within our Maths curriculum and are built upon consistently over a child’s journey through our school. We are committed to ensuring that all children are able to recognise the importance of Mathematics within the wider world, its application in our lives and that they are aspirational in what they believe they can achieve in Maths. We aim to enable our children to apply the mathematical skills and understanding they develop within our curriculum to these real-life contexts. We aim to deliver an aspirational Maths curriculum which not only produces successful and ambitious mathematicians but children with a confidence and enjoyment in Maths that is rooted in deep and secure understanding.
The content and principles underpinning the 2014 Mathematics curriculum and the Maths curriculum at Twelve Apostles intends to develop a deep understanding of declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge that the children require to be successful in Maths. The children develop their declarative knowledge (I know that) within their daily maths lessons and through the Mastery in Number programme in which they learn facts and key information. Alongside this, the children also develop their procedural knowledge (I know how) by developing an understanding of calculation and mathematical operations. Upon securing this knowledge, the children then apply it to different reasoning and problem-solving contexts and developing their conditional knowledge (I know when).
Implementation
Planning and Curriculum Structure
Maths is delivered using ‘The 5 Big Ideas’ detailed within the ‘Teaching for Mastery’ approach developed by NCETM. A teaching and planning format for Maths is used across the school which incorporates these ideas and is built around Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. Teachers use the White Rose and Third Space resources to support the planning and teaching of the maths curriculum, though this is not prescriptive. In EYFS, the children receive the majority of their Maths curriculum through the Mastery in Number programme, which is supplemented by the White Rose scheme of learning. In all years other than Year 6, children also receive Mastery in Number sessions four times per week in addition to their primary Maths lesson in order to further develop their flexibility with number.
Pedagogical Methods & Learning Approaches
New concepts are introduced through concrete, pictorial and symbolic representations. Children are provided with appropriate models to expose the Maths and support their conceptual understanding. In Maths lessons, explicit modelling, practice, and consolidation play a central role. Time to revisit, practice and build upon previous learning is built into the curriculum through the use of resources such as Flashback 4. Practical exploration is key to developing conceptual understanding and it is utilised across the different strands of Maths. Throughout the year, problem-solving activities are interwoven into the teaching of mathematics to ensure children have a wealth of opportunities to apply their knowledge, understanding, and skills.
Adaptation & Expectations
Teachers reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in Mathematics. The large majority of children progress through the curriculum content at the same pace and aim towards their year group expectations. Adaptive teaching is achieved through identifying those children who need to spend more time at each stage and those who need to be challenged through reasoning and problem-solving opportunities. There is a clear progression to the written calculation policy that ensures consistent development year on year.
Assessment and Inclusion
Teachers use assessment for learning throughout the teaching cycle to identify conceptual and procedural knowledge. This information is used to inform teaching and to identify quickly those children who require additional support. Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in maths are supported using the same principles of concrete, pictorial, and symbolic representation. To ensure teaching is inclusive, children with SEN receive reasonable adjustments relating to their primary need through adaptive teaching.
Vocabulary
Maths vocabulary is key to enabling children to mathematically reason and problem solve; therefore, key vocabulary is explicitly taught through sentence stems so that children have the building blocks to reason effectively. Reading is woven through every subject, including Maths, enriching pupils' understanding and deepening their knowledge. Reasoning in Maths provides meaningful, real-life contexts for reading, while high-quality texts enhance learning and vocabulary in Maths. This reciprocal approach supports pupils in becoming confident, curious readers who can access and enjoy the full curriculum.
Impact
Our mission is clear, we aim to ensure that all children fulfil their human potential. We have a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Children can underperform in Mathematics because they think they can’t do it or are not naturally good at it. The principles behind using concrete, pictorial and symbolic representations to support children enables all children to achieve. It ensures that all children experience challenge and success in Mathematics by developing a growth mindset. Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child. These factors ensure that we are able to maintain high standards, with excellent progress from children’s starting point in Reception to the end of Key Stage 2.