Intent

At Trumps Green Infant School, we believe that mathematics is more than just numbers. It is about developing curiosity, confidence, reasoning and a lifelong love of learning. We want every child to develop a positive relationship with mathematics and to recognise its value in everyday life and in understanding the world around them.

Our intention is that every pupil, regardless of starting point or individual need, develops the knowledge, skills and confidence to become a successful mathematician. We have high expectations for all children, including those who are disadvantaged, have SEND, are known or have previously been known to children’s social care, or who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. We do not lower our expectations because of a pupil’s starting point or individual circumstances. Instead, we adapt teaching and provide appropriate support so that all pupils can access the same ambitious mathematical curriculum and secure the essential knowledge and skills they need.

What we intend pupils to know and do

We intend that pupils develop a secure and connected body of mathematical knowledge. They will develop strong foundations in number and place value, become increasingly fluent with key number facts and calculation strategies, and develop an understanding of mathematical structures and relationships.

Alongside fluency, pupils will develop conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. They will learn to identify patterns and relationships, make connections between mathematical ideas, choose appropriate strategies, explain and justify their thinking, and use increasingly precise mathematical vocabulary. We intend that pupils can apply what they know to unfamiliar problems and increasingly make connections between different areas of mathematics.

Our mastery approach ensures that new learning builds on what pupils already know. Mathematical ideas are broken down into manageable steps, explored through representations and practical experiences, and revisited and connected over time. Pupils are supported to develop from concrete experiences, through pictorial representations, towards increasingly abstract mathematical thinking, while maintaining a clear understanding of the concepts underlying their learning.

How mathematics develops from Reception to Year 2

Our mathematics curriculum is carefully sequenced from Reception to Year 2, with knowledge and skills systematically introduced, practised, revisited and developed over time.

In Reception, pupils develop the foundations of mathematical thinking through purposeful exploration, play and explicit teaching. They develop a secure understanding of number, including counting, cardinality, comparison, composition and early calculation, alongside pattern, shape, space, measure and mathematical vocabulary. They begin to notice relationships and patterns, solve simple problems and explain their mathematical thinking.

In Year 1, pupils build on these foundations by developing greater fluency and understanding in number and place value. They develop increasingly secure calculation strategies, explore addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and make connections between mathematical ideas. They also develop their understanding of fractions, measure, geometry and mathematical relationships, applying this knowledge to increasingly varied problems.

In Year 2, pupils consolidate and deepen their understanding of number and calculation, develop greater fluency with key facts and increasingly efficient strategies, and extend their understanding of multiplication, division, fractions, measure and geometry. They increasingly apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems, reason, identify relationships and explain their thinking independently.

Mathematics across the curriculum and everyday life

We intend that pupils understand that mathematics is both a subject in its own right and a tool for understanding and solving problems in the wider world. Opportunities to apply mathematical knowledge are therefore identified across the curriculum and in meaningful real-life contexts. Pupils develop the confidence to use mathematics to make sense of situations, solve problems and make informed decisions.

Intended end points

By the time children leave Trumps Green Infant School, we intend that pupils will have developed the foundational mathematical knowledge and skills necessary for the next stage of their education. They will be able to:

· demonstrate secure understanding of number and place value;

· recall and apply key number facts with increasing fluency and accuracy;

· use appropriate calculation strategies and explain their methods;

· understand and apply the concepts underlying addition, subtraction, multiplication and division;

· recognise and describe patterns, relationships and connections within mathematics;

· apply mathematical knowledge to solve problems, including unfamiliar problems;

· reason mathematically by explaining, justifying and proving their ideas using appropriate mathematical vocabulary;

· apply mathematical understanding across different contexts, including the wider curriculum and everyday life; and

· approach mathematics with increasing confidence, curiosity, resilience and enjoyment.

Our mathematics curriculum is therefore designed to ensure that all children make progress from their individual starting points, secure the essential foundations of mathematics, and develop the fluency, conceptual understanding, reasoning and problem-solving skills needed to become confident and successful mathematicians.

Implementation

In EYFS, our youngest mathematicians follow Mastery Number. Through planned, purposeful play and exploration children are given opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge and deepen their understanding of numbers. Children will explore and begin to spot patterns, solve problems and use an increasing range of mathematical vocabulary to explain their learning.

In KS1, we use Primary Stars and the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics) to sequence our curriculum into building blocks providing coverage, consistency and progression across all year groups. Throughout the school, children progress from concrete models, through pictorial and finally to more abstract learning within lessons and across units of work. A range of concrete resources are available in all classrooms, for children to access to support and deepen their learning.

Fluency and accuracy of key mathematics skills are developed during lessons and we provide an opportunity to revisit and review misconceptions and deepen previously taught content. The delivery and design of our curriculum is planned to ensure a seamless transition between year groups and key stages, including readiness for their next stage of education.

Impact

A variety of methods are used to find out what the children know and understand. Mathematics lessons allow for collaborative learning and thus encourage children to talk in pairs, small groups or through class discussion, to share learning. For those children who grasp concepts rapidly, they will be challenged through a range of problems, whilst those not sufficiently fluent will be provided with opportunities to consolidate their understanding through additional practice and first response intervention. Children’s understanding of taught concepts will be assessed formatively as well as using end of block assessment tasks which provide opportunities for children to demonstrate their understanding fully. Evidence of the children’s learning journey through each Mathematics topic will be recorded in Maths books.

Children in EYFS will be assessed against the Early Years Learning Goal. Children in Year 2 will be assessed against the End of Year 2 Teacher Assessment Framework.

Mathematics monitoring includes work scrutinises, lesson observations and/or learning walks, pupil voice interviews/questionnaires in order to ascertain correct curriculum coverage, the quality of teaching and learning as well as the children’s attitudes to and retention of maths learning. Internal moderations are carried

out 3 times a year, unless teachers wish to moderate with the Mathematics lead more frequently. External moderations are carried out once a year with learning partnership schools. The analysis of this is used to identify areas of development and any children who are not making expected progress.

This information is then used to inform further curriculum developments and provision is adapted accordingly.