Mathematics and Numeracy

Maths Intent, Implementation and Impact

Intent: Introduction, Vision and Philosophy
The purpose of this document is to clarify the how, why, and what of maths teaching at Harris Primary Academy Mayflower. This is to be used by staff to clarify expectations, highlight the resources that we have at our disposal, and to ensure that a high-quality maths curriculum is being taught to all. At Mayflower, we want our children to be confident mathematicians, fluent mathematicians, and able to solve problems. We teach maths for mastery. This means that we are teaching children to have a deep conceptual understanding rather than teaching so that children can get a correct answer. Being able to explain how they got an answer, why that answer is right, and what might happen if a particular variable was changed are the hallmarks of a mathematician – simply getting the answer right ought to be a given.

At Mayflower, we believe that all children can succeed mathematically, and that one of our primary tasks as maths teachers is to find ways of presenting, scaffolding, and teaching concepts in such a way that everyone will achieve.

Staff receive regular CPD on the teaching and planning of maths within school, as well as the opportunity for additional training delivered by Federation consultants.

Implementation: What does maths look like at HPAMA? Overview:
At HPAMA we teach maths in units, usually spending a few weeks on each topic. We try to develop children’s understanding from the Concrete (actual physical manifestation of the maths), on to the Pictorial (being able to approach the maths using pictures rather than physical resources), and finally onto the Abstract (being able to approach mathematics without physical or pictorial resources). A typical 2-week unit might have 4 practical, concrete lessons (recorded using photo lessons), and 6 lessons focusing more on the pictorial and abstract (recorded using task stickers). Occasionally, unforeseen misconceptions crop-up during lessons, and this might mean that we have to change the 2:3 ratio.

Unit

When planning a unit, teachers use a range of resources and areas to support and structure their overviews. Generally, teachers will follow the recommended progression from the “Maths no Problem” textbooks. This gives a good idea of what a particular unit of work might include, and a sensible order in which to teach it. This can then be cross-referenced with the available effective maths slides to identify which lessons will need self-resourcing. Often, when there is not an effective maths lesson, teachers will use scanned images from the textbooks, or images taken from the White Rose Maths Hub exemplification and create a PowerPoint.

Typical Daily Lesson
Individual teachers have individual styles, different classes have different needs. At the start of the year, Year 1 teachers will find that they need more time for the task, however, a typical maths lesson should consist of these elements:
Review: (5 minutes) – What children learned from previous lesson. 

MOS: Review of the times tables for the year group.
Guided practice: (10 minutes) – Here the teacher gives a whole-class input, with lots of opportunities for children to talk to their partner about particular questions, apply their learning to mini-tasks, and clarify misconceptions (The teacher isn’t talking for 10 minutes).
Partner Practice: (10 minutes) – Here the children discuss and attempt the new learning. This maybe in the form of a game, a sheet with the same layout as your teaching, however, with different numbers, some sort of physical resource that they will use to solve a problem. At this point, the teacher can move around the room, and assess how well children have understood the learning.

Understanding check: This is in the form of a true or false question. This can been shown as a tick or a cross or a thumbs up or down.

Sticker work: (15-20 minutes) – Here the children are independently completing the stickers, after the GP and partner practice, are accessible and understood.

When teaching a practical photo lesson, record the learning on a sheet with the LO, Date, Photo and ‘Apply it’ question. KS1 differentiated photo sheet three ways: emerging, secure and greater depth. KS2 differentiated two ways with apply it question and a deeper thinking question for the greater depth children.

Depending on the length of the unit, a problem-solving investigation will be conducted at the end of the unit to asses and challenge pupils reasoning and understanding of the unit. For greater depth children an extension with a challenge or deeper thinking can be added.

 Year 2 example                                          Year 5 example

When children are doing a written task, this will typically be presented on four stickers for a lesson. Some units, like statistics, might need another format, in which case teachers will us their own judgement. Not all children will complete all stickers, and early on in year 1, most will only be completing one or two stickers. For ideas and support on making task stickers, please use the “Primary Maths Task Stickers” folder.

The stickers follow a clear progression:

Marking

Impact:

Pupils across our academy make excellent progress in their Maths work and data shows that our children achieve exceptionally well.

In lessons we use formative assessment to help decide on what we should do next with pupils and the progress they are making. This allows us to understand how to support and extend our pupils appropriately.  

Teachers recognise the difference between performance and learning and understand that pupil performance in the lesson today does not necessarily translate into the type of learning that will be evident tomorrow.  As a result, the use of low stakes tests (in the form of spaced retrieval practice) enable staff to regularly assess what learning has been retained by pupils over longer periods of time. This also provides pupils with the regular opportunity of retrieving information from memory, which consequently facilitates learning.

This includes:

• assessment for learning
• pupil voice
• challenge tasks
• quizzing, multiple choice and end of unit questions (see below 1)
• standards of learning in books
• spaced retrieval practice (see example below 2)

   

1.                                                                                  2

At three assessment points, pupils also sit a standardised test so that gaps can be analysed at a class, academy and federation level. These assessments address the three key elements of the curriculum; fluency, reasoning and problem solving

Cheryl Lopez, shafeena Parveen and Andrew Kerr- Maths Team