***** CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION *********
Inspired by our school vision (Matthew 7.12) at Boddington primary academy we want children to develop a love for maths and have the belief in themselves to talk to others about their mathematical knowledge and skills.
Why we teach the maths curriculum?
At Boddington Primary Academy, we believe that all children should progress through our school to become confident, articulate and inquisitive mathematicians, to the best of their ability. Through the teaching of mathematics we seek to enable children to develop knowledge of mathematical facts, acquire numeracy skills, conceptual structures and general strategies. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems to deepen their understanding rather than any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. By following a mastery-based curriculum we aim for the children to develop positive attitudes to Mathematics as an interesting, enjoyable and challenging subject.
Progress for each child is measured according to each child’s individual starting and end point. Children are assessed on entry to each year group and progress measured from their individual starting points. Success is celebrated and opportunities for children to share these times with their peers, parents and other adults from our school is encouraged though our school rewards system.
Developing children’s mastery of mathematical language is also encouraged from the moment they arrive here. The use of stem sentences, general rules and answering problems in full sentences allow children to express their ideas with mathematical precision and clarity. These sentence structures often express key conceptual ideas or generalities and provide a framework to embed conceptual knowledge and build understanding.
“The quality of children’s mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding is significantly enhanced if they are consistently expected to use correct mathematical terminology (e.g. saying ‘digit’ rather than ‘number’) and to explain their mathematical thinking in complete sentences.” NCETM calculation guidance Oct 2015.
In our nurturing environment, children will develop a love of maths and confidence to talk about their knowledge and skills acquired through their time with us.
Progress for each child is measured according to each child’s individual starting and end point. Children are assessed on entry to each year group and progress measured from their individual starting points. Success is celebrated and opportunities for children to share these times with their peers, parents and other adults from our school is encouraged though our school rewards system.
Developing children’s mastery of mathematical language is also encouraged from the moment they arrive here. The use of stem sentences, general rules and answering problems in full sentences allow children to express their ideas with mathematical precision and clarity. These sentence structures often express key conceptual ideas or generalities and provide a framework to embed conceptual knowledge and build understanding.
“The quality of children’s mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding is significantly enhanced if they are consistently expected to use correct mathematical terminology (e.g. saying ‘digit’ rather than ‘number’) and to explain their mathematical thinking in complete sentences.” NCETM calculation guidance Oct 2015.
In our nurturing environment, children will develop a love of maths and confidence to talk about their knowledge and skills acquired through their time with us.
How do we teach the Maths curriculum?
At Boddington Primary Academy, we believe that consistency and coherency of approach is vital to allow children progress smoothly through the school. By following a mastery-based curriculum the children are constantly building on knowledge and skills. Due to this approach, at Boddington, we spend greater time on each area of mathematics which allows for a deeper level of understanding for the children in each year group.
Our teaching for mastery reflects the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM)’s 5 Big Ideas. Opportunities for Mathematical Thinking allow children to make chains of reasoning connected with the other areas of their mathematics. A focus on Representation and Structure ensures concepts are explored using concrete, pictorial and abstract representations, the children actively look for patterns as well as specialise and generalise whilst problem solving. Coherence is achieved through the planning of small connected steps covered in lessons which build in to the children’s overall progression within that mathematical area.
Teachers use both procedural and conceptual Variation within their lessons to ensure concepts are understood and embedded fully. There is an emphasis on Fluency with a relentless focus on number and multiplication table facts as appropriate.
Whenever possible, concepts are taught using real life situations and manipulatives to give context and meaning to the children’s learning. This also allows for links to our whole school topics and other curriculum areas, when appropriate. The use of manipulatives in lessons, irrespective of a children’s ability or age is fundamental to being confident moving from the concrete, to the pictorial then abstract. Teachers draw on mastery resources from a range of sources including both text books and online resources which are adapted to the needs of the children in their classes.
Children are taught the knowledge and skills for their year group, as required by the National Curriculum Programme Of Study for Mathematics. Teachers assess against a given framework produced in line with the end of Key Stage assessments.
As all the classes here in Boddington are mixed-age, teaching may take the form of a variety of approaches depending on factors which may include the cohort numbers, individual children’s needs and the area of maths that is being taught. All teaching approaches are carefully considered in order for all children to progress and develop their knowledge and skills in mathematics.
Our teaching for mastery reflects the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM)’s 5 Big Ideas. Opportunities for Mathematical Thinking allow children to make chains of reasoning connected with the other areas of their mathematics. A focus on Representation and Structure ensures concepts are explored using concrete, pictorial and abstract representations, the children actively look for patterns as well as specialise and generalise whilst problem solving. Coherence is achieved through the planning of small connected steps covered in lessons which build in to the children’s overall progression within that mathematical area.
Teachers use both procedural and conceptual Variation within their lessons to ensure concepts are understood and embedded fully. There is an emphasis on Fluency with a relentless focus on number and multiplication table facts as appropriate.
Whenever possible, concepts are taught using real life situations and manipulatives to give context and meaning to the children’s learning. This also allows for links to our whole school topics and other curriculum areas, when appropriate. The use of manipulatives in lessons, irrespective of a children’s ability or age is fundamental to being confident moving from the concrete, to the pictorial then abstract. Teachers draw on mastery resources from a range of sources including both text books and online resources which are adapted to the needs of the children in their classes.
Children are taught the knowledge and skills for their year group, as required by the National Curriculum Programme Of Study for Mathematics. Teachers assess against a given framework produced in line with the end of Key Stage assessments.
As all the classes here in Boddington are mixed-age, teaching may take the form of a variety of approaches depending on factors which may include the cohort numbers, individual children’s needs and the area of maths that is being taught. All teaching approaches are carefully considered in order for all children to progress and develop their knowledge and skills in mathematics.
What does the Maths look like at Boddington Primary Academy?
With the mastery approach to the teaching of mathematics developing in our school, the impact of this should mean that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next step. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems rather than any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. All children should become more articulate in their use of mathematical language and show confidence, fluency and progress, with embedded skills ready to be transferred into secondary school and beyond.
