Maths

Intent

At Pembury Primary School, we promote a love of mathematics. We support children in exploring mathematical ideas and concepts to promote lifelong learning with number. We strive to ensure that skills are embedded and processes enable children to apply their maths in a variety of ways. We encourage the children to become confident and competent mathematicians who are able to work fluently with number and are able to reason and solve problems within real-life contexts.

Implementation

Our policy is linked to the White Rose Maths (WRM) Schemes of Learning, which is followed throughout the school and directly covers the National Curriculum strands that explore what areas need to be taught. WRM promotes kinaesthetic learning to ensure children acquire fluency of skills by introducing concepts in a practical/concrete way, before progressing to pictorial then abstract (C-P-A). Each of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) are explored throughout the school following this approach.

• Concrete– Children use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.
• Pictorial– Children build upon this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can be used to aid reasoning and problem solving.
• Abstract– With a secure foundation of knowledge firmly in place, children can move on to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

In lessons there are opportunities for exploration, structuring, documenting, practice and reflecting. Input is delivered through small steps of sequential learning with opportunities for children to tackle problems. Carefully planned questions are used to assess understanding and address misconceptions using a ping-pong style of questioning. During the input children are exposed to the same element of maths in lots of different representations.

Impact

Summative assessment takes place at the end of each term and the children’s progress and attainment is discussed with our senior leadership team. Formative assessment takes place on a daily basis and teachers adjust their planning accordingly to meet the needs of their class. 
It is important to understand that mathematics is not an isolated subject which only ‘lives’ in maths lessons, but something which has impact and significance in all our lives. The skills which the children learn in maths are used in other areas of the curriculum, including science and technology. We also aim to link children’s learning in maths to the ‘real world’ as much as possible in order that children of all ages appreciate its importance and relevance.

EYFS

The principle focus of mathematics teaching in the Early Years is to give children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shape, spaces and measures. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

Maths information for parents to support learning at home

To help support parents as children complete maths homework, we have provided them with some helpful handouts/leaflets. Please click on the links below.