Ambition

Mathematics is an essential and exciting part of our curriculum. Through our daily Maths teaching, we work to  ensure that all children are enabled to become confident mathematicians with the necessary skills to tackle Maths in daily life.

At Parklands Primary School, we teach through progressive objectives, which challenge and support all learners in all areas of the Maths curriculum including Number, Place Value; Addition and Subtraction; Multiplication and Division; Fractions; Shape; Position, Direction and Movement; Measure and Statistics. Alongside the Maths curriculum strands, we have a discrete Arithmetic session each week to allow the children a depth of focus on key calculation skills and promote the learning of times tables. We encourage cross curricular opportunities wherever possible, so that key concepts are reinforced and consolidated in real life contexts.

Preston Hedge’s Trust Calculation Policy

Maths objectives by strand. Year One – Three

Maths Objectives Strands. Year Four – Six

How we acieve our ambitions

Early Maths

We believe that having a secure understanding of mathematical concepts is essential for children’s confidence and we develop this from Early Years. This enables our children to build upon their knowledge as they move through the school and build a greater depth of understanding of mathematics, which will support them through their future education.

Whilst our children are in Reception, their Maths sessions alternate weekly between a number focus and a shape focus, ensuring that over a fortnightly period, the children have opportunities to immerse and develop through the EYFS Mathematics curriculum.

We understand the importance of practical application – especially when children are new to mathematical concepts, therefore we ensure that our sessions are well resourced to enable this. Children have opportunities to take part in whole class and small group, adult-led maths sessions, whilst also having a range of highly engaging adult initiated maths based activities on offer throughout the provision that they can access throughout the school day. Reception children are encouraged to seek out learning opportunities, therefore we make sure that Maths is on offer throughout the provision: each indoor and outdoor classroom has a Maths area full of counters (often natural ones found on our Wild Walks), coins, number and shapes that the children are free to access whenever they choose their learning; there are measuring implements in the construction area, and role play areas full of  real life Maths.

This ensures that our children are well prepared to move onto more sophisticated concepts as they progress into Year One and beyond.

Year 1 – 6

We have a very consistent approach to our Maths lessons that provides clear structures for our children.  Maths is taught daily, and all our lessons start with a focused mental maths objective, followed by a main strand objective and a linked, progressive challenge objective. Each objective has an appropriate success criteria to scaffold and support the children’s learning.

Maths sessions are highly interactive, with a progressively challenging pitch and appropriate pace that enable pupils to learn, practise and consolidate. Lessons are based on ongoing assessment, with lots of individual whiteboard work that enables the teacher to use responsive teaching, supporting each individual child’s learning journey and moving the class on when they are ready to do so. We ensure that a range of practical resources are readily available in the classroom to support the children, and children demonstrate this understanding in concrete, pictorial and abstract representations, as appropriate to the age and stage of their working.

Times tables are key to speed and accuracy in many mathematical areas, therefore we believe in building these skills as early as possible, and our KS2 children enjoy working towards their times table reward certificate.

As a school, we recognise the importance of the parental role in securing each child’s success. Therefore, we offer parent workshops which explain the calculation methods that we use in school, so that they can be fully involved in their child’s learning.

Outcomes

We have happy and engaged mathematicians at the school, and have seen great improvement to our pupils’ Maths outcomes, with progress of our pupils on exit from the school at national levels and above Northamptonshire levels.