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Mathematics

Mathematics Curriculum Vision

At Ormskirk Church of England Primary School we aim to create mathematical thinkers not calculators. At Ormskirk Church of England Primary School a mathematical thinker is:  

  • a lover of learning;  

  • fluent;  

  • able to independently and confidently use a variety of strategies, in a number of contexts;  

  • willing to take risks to seek out solutions and persevere when faced with challenges; 

  • able to explain their thinking in different ways. 

Curriculum Intent

We believe in teaching mathematics so that every pupil can learn to solve complex problems in unfamiliar contexts. In order to do this, the approach is centred on giving pupils opportunities to deepen their understanding through three key dimensions: conceptual understanding, mathematical thinking and language and communication. We provide our children with enrichment opportunities through Aim High Days, where particularly able mathematicians participate in a workshop hosted by an external mathematics expert who presents a challenging and engaging workshop for the children to develop their mathematical thinking skills. Additional enrichment opportunities have included participation in the Mathematical Association's First Mathematics Challenge for pupils in Years 3 and 4 and the Primary Mathematics Challenge in Years 5 and 6. A team of four mathematicians from Years 5 and 6 competed in a Team Mathematics Challenges at the Lancaster University School of Mathematics in the Summer Term. 

The approach taken to teaching mathematics at Ormskirk Church of England Primary School uses Maths-No Problem! in Reception to Year 6. It is rooted in the Singaporean approach which is based on the following fundamentals: 

C-P-A approach (Bruner) 

This moves children from concrete resources, pictorial representation and finally to the abstract. New learning will need manipulatives to support understanding. Once this is achieved, pictorial/visual images will be used. Ultimately, children need to be working at an abstract level. 

Rich discussion and peer talk (Vygotsky) 

Vygotsky describes us as social creatures. We need to interact with each other. Children need talk to internalise their thinking and restructure their thoughts. 

Thinking processes rather than outcomes (Piaget) 

Children need to find learning challenging to discover new things. New ideas will be accommodated with: time, exploration, talk, concrete resources and conceptual understanding. 

Exploration before structure and different methods to achieve the same outcome (Dienes) 

Dienes describes 6 stages of learning. Stage one states that children should be allowed to explore and discover for themselves. Children should not be introduced to something new in a structured/formal way. He also talks about using a variety of methods to achieve the same goal. 

Instrumental understanding (rote rules) & Relational understanding (what & why) (Skemp) 

Old and new learning is linked together by building schemata. 

Curriculum Implementation

At Ormskirk Church of England Primary School, mathematics is taught using Maths-No Problem! because it is underpinned by significant learning theory which has been successfully used in Singapore  for many years. In addition to this, in order to successfully meet the aims of the 2014 National Curriculum for mathematics, it is pivotal that reasoning, fluency and problem-solving are embedded in the teaching of mathematics and not taught as separate entities.  

The concept of teaching mathematics so that all pupils master an understanding and love of mathematics (teaching for mastery) ensures that topics are well-developed. Pupils will spend enough time to fully explore a concept before moving on to a different topic. Each unit is designed to provide minimal step progression through the material so that all pupils can move forward together at broadly the same pace. Provision is provided for struggling learners and advanced learners, through careful scaffolding, skilful questioning and appropriate rapid intervention, so that concepts are embedded and deepened without the need to accelerate. 

An idea is well-formed and reinforced by ample practice. New knowledge is then used in subsequent lessons so that all ideas build on top of each other, and pupils have ample opportunity to develop relationships between the topics. Ideas are revisited as pupils’ progress through the years, each time at a higher level. 

Alongside quality first teaching, the textbooks and workbooks allow teachers and pupils to explore each topic in real depth. These have been meticulously designed for our pupils to succeed. The textbooks include Anchor Tasks/Explore Tasks, Guided Practice examples and group activities for use in the classroom. 

The textbooks have been researched in detail, which means that teachers don’t have to spend time creating resources from scratch. The varied examples have been specifically chosen to stretch pupils into harder concepts, create depth and generate dialogue, providing teachers with better expert resources than if they were developing materials on their own, pulling resources from multiple places, or sourcing them from the internet. The textbooks come with an online teachers’ guide and resources. There is suggested differentiation, allowing teachers to support struggling learners while stretching and challenging advanced learners. They also point out common misconceptions, formative assessment points, non-negotiables for the lesson, questions and the variation present in the Guided Practice tasks. 

“High quality textbooks support both teachers and pupils – they free teachers up to concentrate on refining pedagogy and developing engaging, effective learning.”  

Why textbooks count, Tim Oates 2014 

The workbooks allow pupils to work independently, demonstrating their understanding and assess their own learning. Each pupil has one of these and completes the relevant pages in the lesson. As the children move on to this once they are secure, they should get most questions correct. That doesn’t mean that making a mistake in them is a problem, but any errors/misconceptions need to be addressed with time given for further guidance and corrections. 

Maths journals are used for jottings, pictorial and written explanations, as well as longer problem-solving exercises and challenges. They can also include reflections. These should show the children’s thinking rather than a series of answers. They are a great assessment tool as well as evidence of progress (in the lesson and over time). 

There are 5 main components to most mathematics lessons (timings are approximate):  

  1.  In Focus Task (followed by unpicking the key methods needed for the lesson) (15-20 minutes)  

  1. Guided Practice* (15 minutes) 

  1.  Independent Practice (10 -15 minutes) 

  1.  Challenge  

  1.  Journaling (this could happen at any point during the lesson) (5-10 minutes)  

Here is our Maths Flowchart which provides more information about the structure of a lesson.

*Children do not move onto their Independent Practice until they are secure in their understanding. This may result in some children working with the teacher in a focus group before they start their independent work. 

Mastering Number

We also follow the NCETM's Mastering Number programs which develop number sense and support pupils in developing automaticity in recall of key number facts. Have a look at our Mastering Number Flowchart for more detail. 

Curriculum Impact

Assessment happens on a variety of levels and is used to inform teachers, SLT and Governors on pupil attainment and progress. Assessment needs to happen in every lesson through teacher observations and questioning. Misconceptions and gaps need to be addressed as quickly as possible (in the lesson/during Big Read) so that children are prepared for the next lesson and any new learning (circulate, assess and amend). This daily assessment is used to inform further teacher planning. Self-Checks can be used for children to self-assess. The books also contain revision exercises which allow previously taught concepts to be assessed; these can be used for extra practice and test preparation. More formal assessments will happen twice per year using ARMA tests. 

At Ormskirk Church of England Primary School, we always strive to create a learning environment in which all children are Inspired to Aim High can Achieve and Shine! This goal is supported by a focus on staff and curriculum development. Ormskirk Church of England Primary School is fortunate to have three members of staff who carry out work for Abacus North West Maths Hub alongside their roles in the school. One member of staff is an advocate for the Abacus North West Maths Hub and uses this role to promote teaching for mastery approaches to other schools in the local area. Another is a Primary Mastery Specialist for Abacus North West Maths Hub and spends part of their week delivering professional development in other schools and supporting curriculum design. The final member of staff has recently led Year 5 to 8 continuity workgroups with Primary Schools and Secondary Schools across Lancashire.  

Finally, as part of Abacus North West Maths Hub, Ormskirk Church of England Primary School can access a number of professional development workgroups including:  

  • Teaching Assistant Subject Knowledge  

  • ECT Subject Knowledge  

  • ECT Lesson Design  

  • Experienced Teacher Subject Knowledge  

  • Experienced Teacher Lesson Design 

  • Developing TfM in EYFS  

By participating in these workgroups, teaching and support staff have the opportunity to hone their skills to improve the quality of teaching and learning with the aim of improving pupil outcomes for children. Additionally, this ensures that we remain outward looking and are able to effectively monitor the impact of our mathematics curriculum and demonstrate sustained self-evaluation and improvement. 

Yearly Overviews

 

 

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