Mathematics - Intent and implementation statement
Intent
Mathematics is an important creative discipline that helps us to understand and change the World. We want all pupils at Bowerhill Primary School to experience the beauty, power and enjoyment of mathematics and develop a sense of curiosity about the subject.
At Bowerhill, we foster positive 'can do' attitudes. We believe all children can achieve in mathematics, and are taught for a secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts. This is captured in our motto and embedded in our school aims. Success in overcoming challenges and problems allows our children to build resilience and curiosity. We use mistakes and misconceptions as an essential part of learning and provide challenge through rich and sophisticated problems before attempting new content.
We aim for all pupils to:
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.
- Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios.
- Have an appreciation of number and number operations, which enables mental calculations and written procedures to be performed efficiently, fluently, and accurately.
Implementation
At Bowerhill, a long-term plan is planned for at least 35 weeks with a detailed curriculum mapped out across all years to ensure pupils acquire and demonstrate a secure and deep understanding of the mathematics relevant to their year group. Medium term plans break the curriculum into manageable steps - the focus of learning for each lesson - with each pupil expected to develop a secure understanding of each step. To carry this out, teachers have access to high quality resources, from a range of sources, to support lesson planning.
Mathematics lessons
Each lesson focuses on a manageable step of new learning based on the National Curriculum statements. Within lessons, concrete and pictorial representations are chosen carefully to help build procedural and conceptual knowledge together. Challenge within the lesson is provided by going deeper, rather than accelerating too early into new mathematical content.
Typical Lesson design:
- 1) Teach It: Live modelling of the new learning with explicit use of potential misunderstandings
- 2) Practise It: All children practise together provided with support & challenge
- 3) Do It: Up to 5 examples - 5 'What it is' or '3+2 'What it is/What it's also'. This task is to focus on the procedural fluency required.
- 4) Secure It: 1 or 2 Misunderstandings (True/false, Spot the mistake etc). These tasks are to focus on the conceptual understanding required.
- 5) Deepen It: Apply understanding to solve new problems. These tasks are to focus on the development of mathematical thinking.
- 6) Review It: Lesson Recap focussed on the generalised statement.
Teachers are responsive to the pupils of their class. Difficulties and misconceptions are identified through immediate same day/week formative and periodic summative assessment. Any difficulties and misconceptions are addressed with rapid intervention either within the lesson, the same day and/or through diagnostic test informed intervention.
Opportunities to revisit, or pre-teach, aspects of maths are provided at other times during the school day to ensure that concepts are embedded. This is especially important when specific children have not acquired the concept in the main lesson. Maths On Track (MOT) Meetings will be used to support deliberate practice, consolidate previous learning, pre-teach and/or for the purpose of immediate intervention.
Maths on Track Meetings (MoT)
Day 1 : Arithmetic - Focusing on concepts taught from a previous year group
Day 2 : Arithmetic - Focusing on concepts taught from a previous year group
Day 3 : Deliberate Practice: Past and Present - Focusing on concepts taught recently that need review
Day 4: Deliberate Practice: Past and Present - Focusing on concepts taught recently that need review
Day 5: Fact Friday
Impact
At each stage, all pupils develop secure and deep understanding of mathematical concepts with sustainable foundations ready to be built on in the next stage of education.
