Maths Intent
At Fenstanton and Hilton Primary School, children experience a Maths curriculum that is challenging, enriching and engaging. Based on the National Curriculum and following the White Rose schemes of learning, topic coverage is adapted to meet the strengths and needs of individual pupils and cohorts. At class level, this involves the use of diagnostic assessments to identify the bespoke opportunities and resources children will need to access to ensure understanding and make progress. At pupil-level, this involves the design of classroom tasks to ensure all pupils can access learning and be challenged appropriately.
We aim for our pupils to have strong written calculation skills and be fluent in the fundamentals of the four operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Our pupils should develop the essential knowledge and recall of their times tables, both through classroom opportunities and their use of Times Tables Rock Stars to consolidate and extend their learning and confidence. We see security with these fundamentals as the foundation on which our children’s abilities to explain, reason, problem-solve and apply are built on. We want our pupils to recall and apply knowledge quickly and accurately.
Our children are exposed to the opportunity to apply their fundamental knowledge and skills through reasoning and problem solving tasks, which all pupils have access to daily. We see this opportunity to apply and embed skill, alongside the teaching of ‘concepts’ (understanding, for example, what multiplication is and means) and procedures, as vitally important to our children’s long-term engagement in mathematics.
Whilst our curriculum follows that of the National Curriculum, it is designed and adapted to suit pupil and cohort needs. This means that pupils who are developing their mathematical confidence have an accessible starting point for their learning. Those who show that understanding is already secure are stretched and challenged to deepen their learning.
In Reception and Key Stage 1, our children are taught in single-year-group classes. In Key Stage 2, where classes are mixed (Years 3/4 ; Years 5/6), long term plans have been designed to provide commonality of subject-focus between year groups as regularly as possible. For example, this means that both year groups would study fractions at the same time. Teachers plan lessons and activities to ensure the curriculum of both year groups has been delivered effectively and appropriate support and challenges is provided to pupils in both year groups.
Maths Implementation
Our curriculum is delivered through our daily teaching of Maths. In EYFS, opportunities to work with numbers and patterns are embedded into classroom activities and supported through adult interaction and modelling. Children experience five explicit Maths sessions every two weeks. Depending on the activity, this might be experienced as whole-class learning (for teacher modelling, pupils practise, and sharing), or as part of small-group work (for assessing individual ability).
In Years 1-6, children experience a daily Maths lesson which follows an agreed structure. Children test their number fact recall; teachers model and explain mathematical methods and language; a process of ‘My Turn, Your Turn’ allows children to watch, discuss and practise; and work is recorded through independent practice and application. To aid access to lessons, children are supported by learning, walls, models, images and physical resources. Learning Objectives are created using the White Rose small steps within each unit of learning.
At the start of each lesson, children develop their number fact recall through a series of mini daily tests. Following this, the lesson incorporates fluency (the opportunity to learn and practise a process or method) and time for learning to be applied through reasoning and problem solving activities. We recognise the need to adapt learning to create accessible opportunities for children at all levels. Whether classes are single-year-group (Reception-Year 2), or mixed-year-group (Key Stage 2), children experience a range of Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot tasks, along with a year group ‘Challenge’ tasks. For mixed year-group classes, the younger group are directed towards Mild and Medium tasks; the older children are directed towards the Hot and Extra Hot tasks. However, there is flexibility on this where pupil ability necessitates it, to ensure access to learning.
In many lessons, children mark their own work, with input from staff. Pupils also reflect on their learning by ticking the Learning Objective: 1 tick = not fully understood; 2 ticks = understood; 3 ticks = fully understood and confidence high. Teachers then reflect on learning by adding their own ticks using the same system.
In Key Stage 2, children experience an explicit ‘Arithmetic’ lesson each week. This is to ensure continued progress of core mathematical skills and calculations. In 2022, a lower-than-average arithmetic score at the end of Key Stage 2 prompted us to add an explicit lesson to improve pupil ability. Within arithmetic lessons, questions are designed to meet the needs of the cohorts involved and lessons also include reasoning and problem solving challenges. Design of questions is led from information teachers hold following previous lessons, units of work, or the completion of Question Level Analysis documents following formal assessments.
Homework supports children’s learning in Maths. Each week, children in Years 1-6 complete arithmetic (fluency) questions and access Times Tables Rock Stars to become familiar with their times tables.
for each year group from Y1 - Y6.
