Mathematics
At Kingsham, we aim:
- To support children to be fluent in their four operations of mathematics using mental and written methods enabling them to evaluate the most efficient.
- To support children to use mathematical reasoning to explain their understanding, their approach to their work and to challenge ideas using mathematical vocabulary.
- To promote problem solving for children so that they can apply their knowledge to solve a range of problems including real-life problems.
- To promote a positive, resilient and open-minded attitude of our children to ensure a confident approach to mathematical challenge.
- To develop children’s ability to find patterns, apply mathematical strategy and logic across the curriculum.
Our Power Maths Curriculum
At Kingsham, we use Power Maths to support our curriculum planning from Year 1 to 6, which aims for the children to achieve mastery in their learning. Mastery maths aims for children to acquire a long-term, deep, confident and adaptable understanding of maths concepts.
The maths curriculum overview for each year is detailed below:
Early Years (using BBC Number Blocks and NCETM)
Ensuring achievement in Maths:
Fundamental to this approach is the belief that every child can understand and succeed in mathematics – to dispel the perception that some people just can’t do maths! Children are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, where the focus is on all pupils working together on the same lesson content at the same time. This ensures that all can master concepts before moving to the next part of the curriculum sequence, allowing no-one to be left behind. Where appropriate, there are also opportunities for the children to deepen their understanding still further.
- Teachers use the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) approach to develop children’s conceptual understanding across the mathematics curriculum.
- Planning and resources are based around the Power Maths sequencing from Year 1 to Year 6. In Early Years the number curriculum is based on the Number Blocks sequencing and NCETM.
- Quality First Teaching that is audited annually by the subject leader and the academy’s senior leadership team.
- Fluency is developed through a simple homework strategy of encouraging children to work on their number bonds or times tables using NUMBOTS or TT Rockstars.
- Assembly celebrations where children who achieve their number bond/times table band are celebrated.
- Effective deepening stickers are used to provide appropriate challenge so that children are working at a deeper level.
- Effective interventions and catch up programmes to accelerate progress following the assessment of the children.
- Maths knowledge is reinforced in a cross curricular way e.g. Measuring in Science and PE and understanding chronology in History.
- Using a range of strategies developed in conjunction with the University of Chichester, teachers use a ‘Times Table Menu’ to teach and support with fluency strategies.
Impact
- Large number of children have their number bonds and times table bands, who are celebrated in assembly.
- NUMBOTS and TT Rockstars demonstrates a high engagement of children with their fluency homework.
- Summative assessments, Year 6 arithmetic scores and MTC checks show a significant progress from their starting points.
- Confident, resilient, open-minded Maths learners who love their Maths and value their knowledge across the curriculum.
- Intervention strategies support children’s accelerated progress.
- Children have a range of strategies to solve problems and use key vocabulary to explain and prove their reasoning.
- Children’s abilities to apply their Maths to other subjects.
The importance of fluency
Maths fluency allows learners to understand the relationship between numbers. It means that not only do they get to grips with how they answer something, but they also understand why they've reached their answer.
Fluency is taught every day for 15 minutes.
These activities can be used with individuals, groups or whole classes where it is possible for the teacher to facilitate a high-quality reasoning dialogue with and between the learners. As such, questioning and conversation prompts, supported by structured visual models are essential.
Your role in supporting your child’s fluency:
At Kingsham, the expectation is that all children should have earnt all of their bands by Year 4. In Year 4, the children have to complete a multiplication times table check.
The children’s homework is to practise either Times Table Rock Stars or Numbots every week. Your support with this is vital in encouraging children to succeed.
Fluency is celebrated at assembly regularly. It is always so lovely to see how proud the children are when they are celebrated.