Mathematics

At St John's CE (VC) Primary School we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of mathematics, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high-quality first-wave teaching in mathematics, which is central to the life of our happy, caring school.

Intent – What we are trying to achieve?

• Our principal aim is that children leave St John's CE (VC) Primary School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in Mathematics formed through interesting and exciting experiences driven by carefully structured maths lessons that enhance a child’s awareness of their own abilities and strengths as a learner; thus ensuring that children see learning in mathematics as an ongoing process, not a one-off event.
• Children will meet the National Curriculum expectations in mathematics, which will be taught by highly- enthusiastic qualified staff who will support children to develop mastery of concepts and inspire enthusiasm and interest in mathematics.
• Children will study a high-quality maths curriculum using Power maths that is both challenging and enjoyable.
• Children will develop into independent learners with inquisitive minds who have secure mathematical foundations and an interest in self-improvement.
• Opportunities will exist for children of all ages to experience learning beyond the classroom.  This will allow them to enrich their knowledge by, for example, undertaking maths investigations outdoors, applying maths skills to curriculum vehicle work, and engaging parents in the home application of skills.
• Children will develop a deep understanding of the mathematics they are studying. They will increasingly use their prior knowledge to solve problems and develop sophistication of mathematics. This will be done through teacher input as well as independently.
• Children will be provided with a variety of mathematical opportunities which will enable them to make connections in learning leading to greater depth learning, ensuring they are confident mathematicians who are not afraid to take risks.
• Children will understand how our school's values and British Values relate to mathematics.
• Children will develop a real understanding and appreciation of the world learning from the best that has been developed and said. Galileo himself stated ‘If I were again beginning my studies, I would follow the advice of Plato and start with mathematics.’
• A high-quality mathematics education will be taught providing a foundation for understanding the world, developing the ability to reason mathematically and encouraging a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about mathematics.
• Mathematical skills will be applied to other subjects including science, technology and engineering.

Implementation – How do we translate our vision into practice?

• The curriculum hours in Mathematics are non-negotiable and will be followed by all staff in the school.  These are 5 hours of Mathematics in Reception and KS1 and 6 hours in KS2.  Fixed timetables will be set before the academic year and monitored by the Senior Leadership Team of the school.
• Mathematics specialists from our partner secondary school are and will continue to be integral to the planning process.  This will aid the transition to Key Stage 3.
• The Subject Leader for Mathematics will meet the Senior Leadership Team on a fortnightly basis to evaluate provision in order to ensure that teaching and learning in Mathematics is outstanding.  Where necessary, staff will receive coaching and training in Mathematics.
• Carefully designed schemes of learning in mathematics ensure consistency and progress of all learners.
• The focus on a mastery approach to Mathematics will ensure that pupils acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. 
• Mathematics is taught individually but plays a key role in the achievement of learning in all the subjects. For example, when learning about Romans children will revisit Roman numerals or when analysing graphs children will apply their knowledge in science, geography, and history too.
• Pupils will make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.
• Success criteria in every Mathematics lesson are set in order to guide children to achieve their potential. This ensures work is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum.
• High-quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spaced learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessments with teachers actively marking work in lessons in order to identify misconceptions early.
• High-quality input from experts and educational resources complement the delivery of specialist learning admirably.  Children understand how Mathematics is used in the wider world including in careers.
   

Impact – What is the impact of our curriculum on the students?

• Children are happy learners of mathematics.  They experience a wide-ranging number of learning challenges in the subject and know appropriate responses to them.
• Through mathematics, children deepen their appreciation of their faith and fulfil their God-given talents.
• Visits within mathematics have enriched the lives of the children and they are able to discuss how the experience impacted their knowledge and understanding.

• Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well in mathematics, reflected in outstanding progress that reveals a clear learning journey.  Children talk enthusiastically about their learning in mathematics and are eager to further their learning in the next stages of their education.
• There is a proven track record of test success that reflects the impact of deep learning.
• Clear outcomes focus and guide all mathematical development plans and drive improvement.
• Children will become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics. Through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, pupils will have the conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• Children will be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
• Children will solve problems by applying their mathematics in a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering to seek solutions.
• Fundamental British Values are evident in mathematics and children understand how mathematics can celebrate difference
• Learning in Mathematics will ensure children understand how mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to Science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment.
• Through wider reading in mathematics, children will have opportunities to explore key mathematic concepts that explore such topics as mathematics in nature and support learning. They will explore how mathematics has provided a solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. Through this exposure, children will produce work that is influenced by the best of the best.