Mathematics

At Beaudesert Lower School we use the Herts for Learning Essential to deliver the Maths curriculum from reception to Year 4. We have also been working with the NCETM for the past 5 years to deliver a mastery maths experience.

Mathematics teaching for mastery assumes everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics.
Mathematical learning behaviours are developed such that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.
Teachers continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.
Curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.

Intent

Lesson design links to prior learning to ensure all can access the new learning and identifies carefully sequenced steps in progression to build secure understanding.
Examples, representations and models are carefully selected to expose the structure of mathematical concepts and emphasise connections, enabling pupils to develop a deep knowledge of mathematics.
Procedural fluency and conceptual understanding are developed in tandem because each supports the development of the other.
It is recognised that practice is a vital part of learning, but the practice must be designed to both reinforce pupils’ procedural fluency and develop their conceptual understanding.

Implication

In the classroom

Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence, in a typical lesson the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration, and discussion, enabling pupils to think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems.

The use of precise mathematical language enables all pupils to communicate their reasoning and thinking effectively and if a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind.

Significant time is spent developing deep understanding of the key ideas that are needed to underpin future learning with Key number facts which are learnt to automaticity, and other key mathematical facts are learned deeply and practised regularly, to avoid cognitive overload in working memory and enable pupils to focus on new learning.

Each Year group have a maths trolley with lots of manipulatives and all classes have a concrete, pictorial and abstract approach to learning.

Lesson studies are take place during the year, where staff gather in one classroom and observe a member of staff and then talk through the lesson focusing on the 5 big ideas.

Impact

Through discussion and feedback with the children, the majority of children agreed that they enjoyed maths lesson, that they used mathematics outside of school. Children demonstrated a positive attitude towards their maths learning and agreed that maths displays and resources on the maths trollies helped their learning. Children also said that they were proud of their maths learning.

Pupils are able to discuss different methods that they use with their talking partners and others. With continued support from Herts for Learning and regular meetings with the NCETM and other subject leaders we ensure that staff are regularly updated and kept informed about a mastery approach to learning

Behind all NCETM and Maths Hubs’ work in the field of teaching for mastery are the Five Big Ideas in Teaching for Mastery.