How is Mathematics taught at Lydney Church of England School?
We follow a mastery approach to teaching mathematics, focusing on developing a deep understanding of maths for all children.
EYFS:
Children have access to maths activities and exploration every day, as well as regular planned adult-led maths sessions. The focus of these sessions is planned using the White Rose Maths Scheme for EYFS, which supports children in meeting their Early Learning Goals for Mathematics by the end of the year. These lessons are practical, with children becoming familiar with a range of manipulatives, with a high emphasis on vocabulary and exploration. Alongside the planned sessions, maths learning is enhanced throughout the classroom environment to encourage use of maths learning in their child-initiated play. Children also have frequent opportunities throughout the day for incidental maths learning through counting, number songs, stories, chanting and alike.
KS1:
Children have a daily maths lesson centred on developing mastery. The curriculum is delivered using the White Rose Maths scheme as the main vehicle for planning and progression.
Regular “maths meetings” are also delivered, where children re-visit and rehearse areas of maths that are not currently being taught, and which embed and rehearse key ideas for each year group. Teachers in KS1 and EYFS are also a part of the Mastering Number Programme and use these materials to support the development of number fluency in their classes.
Other materials such as nrich, “get the buzz” and similar are sometimes used to enhance opportunities for reasoning in different contexts, and to provide low threshold / high ceiling opportunities for problem solving.
A times tables termly planner (third space learning) provides a breakdown of learning for multiplication and division facts. Children also have a yearly overview for Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs), the teaching and learning of which is embedded into the school day.
KS2:
Children have a daily maths lesson centred on developing mastery. The curriculum is delivered using the White Rose Maths scheme as the main vehicle for planning and progression.
Regular “maths meetings” are also delivered, where children re-visit and rehearse areas of maths that are not currently being taught, and which embed and rehearse key ideas for each year group.
Other materials such as nrich, “get the buzz” and similar are sometimes used to enhance opportunities for reasoning in different contexts and to provide low threshold / high ceiling opportunities for problem solving.
From Year 3 onwards, we use times tables rockstars as part of developing quick recall of all multiplication and division facts by the end of year 4. A times tables termly planner (third space learning) provides a breakdown of learning for multiplication and division facts. Children also have a yearly overview for Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs), the teaching and learning of which is embedded into the school day.
Regular maths homework is set in KS2 (and KS1 when appropriate). It is usually based around the learning from that week to help consolidate students’ knowledge and understanding.
Inclusion, Quality First Teaching and Intervention:
White Rose Maths is intended to promote inclusion within classrooms because it emphasises full-class instruction and mixed-ability grouping. Children who are slower to grasp key concepts are encouraged to use practical equipment to demonstrate and consolidate their learning, and this is a key part of our approach from EYFS to Y6. Some children will need a higher level of adult support to access the teaching material and to demonstrate their learning and this is indicated on work through the use of marking codes.
All children are given opportunities to develop a deeper mathematical understanding through the reasoning and problem-solving activities that are embedded throughout the White Rose Scheme of learning and workbooks. Some students will require a more structured / taught approach to this, while some children will be able to explore and investigate more independently.
We use pre-teaching and same day intervention flexibly, according to formative assessment. In some circumstances (e.g. children joining the school in later years where specific gaps are identified, or children with a specific need identified through my plan + / EHCP provision), particular interventions such as Numicon or “Breaking Barriers” may be used.
When a child is working at a level significantly different to that of their peers, a more personalised yet ambitious maths curriculum is planned for by the class teacher (following discussion with the subject lead) and is tailored towards meeting the identified student’s specific needs.
At Lydney C of E, we recognise that all maths teachers are SEND maths teachers and we plan for and deliver inclusive maths lessons, using manipulatives, scaffolds, questioning and support where appropriate to enable all students to access the learning and to achieve.
Extra-Curricular Provision:
Every year, we use A Week of Inspirational Maths (youcubed.org) to kickstart our learning for the year, which focuses on fun maths opportunities that promote open-ended thinking and investigations. It also focuses on a growth mindset foundation for maths learning.
Regularly throughout the year, there will also be whole school maths events either linked to topic work or other events. (e.g. NSPCC Number Day, multicultural maths, Maths in Art etc.)
After-school Maths Clubs (either for targeted students or groups of learners) are also facilitated by Teachers and Teaching Assistants at different points throughout the year to support students with their maths work and to foster a love of the discipline.