Maths

Intent

We intend to provide a curriculum which caters for the needs of all individuals and sets them up with the necessary skills and knowledge for them to become successful in not just school but in their future working lives. Essentially, our ethos at Hormead is that all children can be successful in the study of mathematics. Maths is for everyone! We want our children to be excited by Maths as we believe developing a positive attitude to this subject is essential in order to be successful. At Hormead, we take a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of maths. 

Implementation

To ensure whole school consistence and progression in maths from Early Years to Year 4, our school uses the DfE approved 'White Rose Premium' scheme of learning which is perfectly aligned to the National Curriulum. Hormead, is part of the DfE funded Maths Hubs programme, we are proud to be in our fourth year of sustaining a maths mastery programme. Maths at Hormead is taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of 'mastery' over time. Each lesson phase provides the means to achieve greater depth, with children who are quick to grasp new content being offered rich and sophisticated problems, as well as exploratory, investigative tasks, within the lesson as appropriate. 

A journey through a typical Maths lesson

Our Maths lessons are busy and interactive with children working independently, in pairs, in groups and as a class. Throughout the less, children are encouraged to solve problems each day through the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and abstract thinking (the CPA approach).

The lesson begins with a Starter task to sustain prior learning, consolidate number facts and establish the lesson's confident, can-do tone. Next, children share, explore and learn from a Discover problem, presented with some focused questions to guide their thinking. This initial problem solving activity prompts discussion and reasoning, as well as promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that link to other areas of learning. After the Discover stage, children discuss their learning in a Share activity. During this whole-class, interactive learning phase, children share their thinking and look for best ways to solve the problem. The lesson then moves into a Think Together section. It begins with a teacher-guided question followed by a problem for children to solve in collaboration with a partner, and finally an independent question. It develops the concrete problem through the pictorial and abstract (CPA) stages and there is clear progression within each lesson. In the Practice section, children use the cleverly devised Practice Books to apply and rehearse what they've learned. The carefully varied questions help children to understand the essential features of each concept and build their fluency. The push children that little bit further. The questions are not what they're expecting and they have to think a bit more! There's always an 'Even Deeper' challenge question that links to other maths areas, too. Finally a Reflect section brings each lesson to a conclusion. It involves everyone looking back on what they feel they've each learned, and way for teachers to help each child to understand and consolidate their learning and reveal the depth of their understanding. White Rose Premium resources are frequently used to complement this part of the lesson. 

Impact

• We will have teachers and support staff who fully understand and support the pedagogy.
• We will have children who are increasingly engaged in maths lessons and talk passionately about the subject, making links with other subjects and with the wider world.
• We will observe children tackling mathematical challenges with resilience, confidently using concrete resources and visual representations.
• We will have children who are more articulate when discussing mathematical concepts.
• We will see progress becoming more accelerated due to the way lessons are structured and impact of immediate, tailored interventions.
• We will have a greater proportion of our reception children achieving age-related expectations within the early learning goals, and a greater percentage of our children achieving the higher standard scores at the end of each key stage.

Meet the Growth Mindset Characters 

The growth mindset characters help build mathematical confidence so every child can reach their potential. They are allies for our children and are all hard-working, enthusiastic and unafraid of making mistakes.