At Bosvigo we are driving towards a love and understanding of mathematics. We believe that children should leave primary education as confident, resilient mathematicians with a deep conceptual understanding of the skills required to approach any maths problem. We believe that unlocking mathematical fluency is an essential life skill for all learners and that a deep grasp of the basic skills of mathematics is essential to enabling greater social equity and mobility. We want our pupils to be successful not only in their schooling career, but throughout their adult lives.
We aim to provide children with powerful ways to describe, analyse and solve problems. Children are encouraged to use critical thinking to find solutions to problems, therefore encountering greater depth within their maths sessions. We also recognise the importance of mathematical language; both of these allow for an easier transition to mastery.
In short, our three main aims in the teaching of mathematics are that all pupils:
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics
- Can reason mathematically
- Can solve increasingly complex problems
The key intention of our curriculum is for every child to see themselves as a mathematician. We intend to develop a ‘can do’ attitude in our children and foster positive attitudes, fascination and excitement of discovery through the teaching and learning of mathematical concepts.
Implementation:
Mathematics at Bosvigo is planned and sequenced using White Rose Maths and our lessons consist of the three aims of the National Curriculum: Fluency – Reasoning – Problem Solving. This ensures careful cumulative coverage - each school year begins with a focus on place value as these skills have the most connections, and this concept is then applied and connected throughout the school year to consolidate learning. This gives all pupils the opportunity to ‘master maths’; by building on previous learning throughout the school year, they are able to develop conceptual understanding.
We believe that our daily fluency sessions (outside the maths hour) promote confident mathematical fluency and this is taught, tested and celebrated across all year groups. We place a large emphasis on number fluency as we believe these are the foundations and building blocks of the mathematic curriculum. In Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, this focuses on addition and subtraction number facts; Lower Key Stage 2 the emphasis is on multiplication and division facts and in Upper Key Stage 2 we focus on making connections e.g. if 6 x 4 = 24 then 600 x 0.4 = 240.
Impact:
It is imperative that the children have a secure understanding of each mathematical concept before moving on. We ensure that the children have mastered the maths in every lesson by: using assessment for learning and identifying and addressing any misconceptions as and when they arise.
Assessment for learning occurs throughout the entire maths lesson through lots of guided practice. This enables teachers/teaching assistants to adapt their teaching/input to meet the children’s needs. This feedback is incisive and regular. Teachers and teaching assistants deliver targeted maths interventions and tutoring based on number fluency. Children are tested on the content they have been taught after each unit and the gap analysis data informs planning for the term ahead. We use White Rose tests as a summative assessment at the end of each term to monitor overall progress in mathematics.