Maths
Intent
Children at C.V.P.S. achieve above the national averages in maths at the end of E.Y.F.S., KS1 and KS2. They demonstrate a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of their work. Children show confidence in believing they will achieve and demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures.Feedback is given line with our feedback policy with the priority being ‘live’ feedback within a lesson.
Formative assessment within every lesson helps teachers to identify the children who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through planned questioning and tailored activities; as well as identify those who need further support to achieve the intended outcome, through fluid boosting, to achieve a ‘keep-up not catch-up’ culture.
Teacher assessment is supported through the use of summative assessments using N.F.E.R. termly tests. Children’s standardised scores from these tests are tracked against End of Year Targets set for each pupil. Teachers carry out a gap analysis of test data which provides the focus for discussion in Pupil Progress Meetings and the implementation of subsequent actions.
In Early Years, teacher assessment of the mathematical development of each child is discussed amongst the whole team of highly skilled ‘Practitioners’ to inform adaptations to ongoing learning.
Our goal is to ensure that all children at Cottingley Village Primary School ‘master’ mathematical concepts through an ability to use mathematical knowledge and skills in different ways; use mathematical language to explain their ideas and independently apply them to a new problem in an unfamiliar situation across the whole curriculum.
Implementation
Teaching maths at Cottingley Village Primary School follows the mastery approach from EYFS to Year Six, adapting it to suit the age and the needs our children in developing their ability to work independently, collaboratively and as part of a team.
Children access maths through the model of Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract and developing mathematical talk is fundamental to their ability to articulate and discuss thinking. Children move through the curriculum at roughly the same pace following the school’s carefully designed progression of knowledge, skills and understanding for every year group from Nursery to Year Six. Teachers meet children’s individual needs through tailored challenge, or support in the form of scaffolding, where appropriate.
By helping children truly master the essential foundation skills in maths we shift the load from their conscious explicit memory to their unconscious implicit memory. With this comes a level of maths fluency needed to excel in higher order maths skills
The design and structure of maths lessons are based upon the professional judgement of the teacher but follow the guidelines of the School’s teaching and learning policy for maths. However, to enable children to know more and remember more, all lessons start with explicit links to prior learning and the introduction and consolidation of mathematical vocabulary and oral sentence stems.
(See maths teaching and learning policy)
New content is introduced in small steps with planned opportunities to develop fluency though conceptual and procedural variation. Learning is deepened through the progressive structures for explanation, justification and proof using precise mathematical vocabulary. The Cottingley Village Reasoning Framework explicitly sets out strategies to teach, revisit and consolidate problem solving developing metacognitive skills, to provide children with the opportunity to develop confidence and ability in tackling familiar and unseen problems.
A whole school calculation policy is used within the school to ensure a consistent approach to teaching the four operations over time.
Continuous Provision for maths is accessed by all children at CVPS during the school day, through the whole school learning environment, and in every classroom from Nursery through to Year Six. It is used to explicitly teach key aspects of the maths curriculum, as well as provide opportunity to exploit ‘retrieval practice’ in order to deepen children’s long-term memory.
Teachers at CVPS use a range of tools to support children in knowing more and remembering more in maths. These include working walls, knowledge organisers as prompts on tables, vocabulary displays and steps to success.
Impact
Children at CVPS achieve above the national averages in maths at the end of EYFS, KS1 and KS2. They demonstrate a high level of pride in the presentation and understanding of their work. Children show confidence in believing they will achieve and demonstrate a quick recall of facts and procedures.
Feedback is given line with our feedback policy with the priority being ‘live’ feedback within a lesson.
Formative assessment within every lesson helps teachers to identify the children who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through planned questioning and tailored activities; as well as identify those who need further support to achieve the intended outcome, through fluid boosting, to achieve a ‘keep-up not catch-up’ culture.
Teacher assessment is supported through the use of summative assessments using NFER termly tests. Children’s standardised scores from these tests are tracked against End of Year Targets set for each pupil. Teachers carry out a gap analysis of test data which provides the focus for discussion in Pupil Progress Meetings and the implementation of subsequent actions.
In Early Years, teacher assessment of the mathematical development of each child is discussed amongst the whole team of highly skilled ‘Practitioners’ to inform adaptations to ongoing learning.
Our goal is to ensure that all children at Cottingley Village Primary School ‘master’ mathematical concepts through an ability to use mathematical knowledge and skills in different ways; use mathematical language to explain their ideas and independently apply them to a new problem in an unfamiliar situation across the whole curriculum.