Maths

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. Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and same day (wherever possible) intervention   To ensure whole school consistency and progression, the school uses the DfE approved ‘Power Maths’ scheme which is fully aligned with the White Rose Maths scheme.  New concepts are shared within the context of an initial problem, which children are able to discuss in partners. This initial problem-solving activity prompts discussion and reasoning, as well as promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that link to other areas of learning. Children are encouraged to solve problems each day through the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and abstract thinking (the C-P-A approach). This helps children tackle concepts in a tangible and more comfortable way.   Teachers use careful questions to draw out children’s discussions and their reasoning. The class teacher then leads children through strategies for solving the problem, including those already discussed. Children then progress to their independent work, where each question varies one small element to move children on in their thinking. Children complete intelligent practice independently, ending in a ‘Reflect’ section where children reveal the depth of their understanding before moving on to more complex related problems. Concrete resources are frequently used to complement this part of the lesson.  Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time. Each lesson phase provides the means to achieve greater depth, with children who are quick to grasp new content being offered rich and sophisticated problems, as well as exploratory, investigative tasks, within the lesson as appropriate.   

At Scargill, we have the following aims for our Maths curriculum

• Children are happy learners who talk enthusiastically about their learning and eager to further their progress in maths 
• The impact of ‘mastery’ and the emphasis on accurate use of mathematical language is evident during class/pupil discussions 
• Children’s fluency in number is evident in our proven track record of high success in arithmetic 
• More consistent teaching practices that are well-known to be more effective for pupil progress long term, evident across school
• Cross-school moderation highlights the high level of challenge for all ability groups, evident throughout topics through reasoning and problem-solving activities