Maths

SCPS Maths Vision Statement

All children enjoy and can succeed in mathematics.

It is our belief that mathematics should equip pupils with a uniquely powerful set of tools to help them to understand the world around them.  We endeavour to ensure that all children at Sheringham Primary School develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their life. These tools include the ability to think mathematically, reason and solve unfamiliar problems with fluency using a range of learnt strategies through collaborative and independent learning.

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. (National Curriculum 2014)

Aims

CARES (Community, Aspiration, Resilience, Emotional Well-Being, Skills & Knowledge):

In addition to the coverage of the national curriculum, Sheringham Community Primary School & Nursery have prioritised five extra elements, designed specifically to meet the needs of the children growing up in our context.

They are Community, Aspiration, Resilience, Emotional Well-Being and Skills & Knowledge.

Linked to the whole school CARES curriculum it is our intention that our pupils will be successful in mathematics through these aims.

Mastery

At Sheringham Primary we aim to adopt a mastery pedagogical approach into our classrooms to ensure the best for our pupils so that every child has the opportunity to develop a deeper, long term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject.

Through the use of resources from White Rose Maths and the NCETM pupils are given the opportunity to work using small steps, mathematical thinking, and appropriate mathematical vocabulary.

There are 5 key elements to the mastery approach used for planning, these are  taken from the NCETM:

• Representation and Structure – concrete and pictorial representations of the mathematical concept to support conceptual understanding. The intention is to support pupils in ‘seeing’ the mathematics, rather than using the representation as a tool to ‘do’ the mathematics.
• Variation  - purpose of variation is to draw closer attention to a key feature of a mathematical concept or structure through varying some elements while keeping others constant.
• Fluency – conceptual and procedural fluency, efficiently and effectively recalling facts and procedures allowing pupils to apply understanding with good number sense.
• Mathematical thinking - Mathematical thinking is central to how pupils learn mathematics. Pupils should actively engage in mathematical thinking in all lessons, communicating their ideas using precise mathematical language.
• Coherence – lessons are designed to enable coherent learning progression. Lessons are broken down into small connected steps, which gradually develops the understanding of the mathematical concept. This provides access for all pupils that they can apply to a range of contexts.