Intent

At Hedworth Lane Primary School, it is our aim to equip pupils with the mathematical knowledge and skills they need in order to achieve success in school and in their future lives. Leaders are determined to ensure that SEND and disadvantage do not unduly hinder pupils’ achievement. We want all pupils to be confident, enthusiastic mathematicians who are keen to learn and unafraid to try; it’s OK to be ‘wrong’ and learn from mistakes.

It is our aim that pupils count fluently and well and have a good grasp of ‘known facts’ relative to their age and stage of learning. Pupils learn to calculate in a progressive manner throughout their time in school and are provided with opportunities to reason about mathematics and apply their knowledge and skills. We want all pupils to do well, make progress and achieve success now and in the future. We have high expectations of pupils’ and teachers’ presentation in maths books and everyone takes pride in this.

Our mathematics curriculum is progressive – building on prior knowledge towards clearly defined goals at the end of each key phase. Teachers know the subject well and provide engaging lessons which incorporate all strands of the curriculum over time. Progress is measured regularly – formally and informally – and steps are taken to support students where gaps in knowledge are identified, both in class and through interventions.

Parents know about their child’s progress and attainment in mathematics and are consulted when support is required and supported to support their child at home.

Implementation

Teachers at Hedworth Lane Primary School have expert knowledge of maths and the maths curriculum. They have high expectations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Our teachers are reflective practitioners who actively seek and engage in continuing professional development in school or from outside sources. Teaching is effective.

How do we teach maths?

Pupils at Hedworth Lane Primary School follow a spiral curriculum for mathematics whereby content and key concepts are learned, revisited and built upon in a way that embeds knowledge in pupils’ long term memories. Sequencing ensures that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and pupils work towards clearly defined end points rather than learning a series of disjointed facts.

Maths is part of the core curriculum and lessons are taught daily across all year groups. 

In line with The National Curriculum for mathematics, we teach pupils in a way that means they :

  • become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics

  • reason mathematically

  • solve problems with increasing sophistication

What does a typical lesson look like?

A typical lesson is likely to include an element of counting and recalling key number or other facts. Teachers will have considered pupils’ prior learning and will draw upon that in the first instance as a foundation for the new learning, including the use of relevant vocabulary. The content of the lesson is taught with opportunities for pupils to practise and ‘have a go’ which also allows teachers to identify and address misconceptions. Independent work follows this, with live marking and feedback as much as possible, and books are routinely checked by teachers to ascertain any further errors or misconceptions which can then be addressed promptly.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is woven into the curriculum, in as fun and stimulating a way as possible. Pupils have plentiful opportunities to draw upon their prior and new knowledge and apply this. Pupils have opportunities to use manipulatives, talk about their work and apply their knowledge in a variety of contexts, developing their fluency. 

What does assessment look like?

Assessment is a mixture of formative and summative.

Formative assessment happens on a daily basis through teacher observation in lessons and the marking of pupils’ work. On an ongoing basis, teachers build up a picture of the attainment of their class, including individual strengths and weaknesses, and use this knowledge to inform future planning.

Summative assessment takes the form of both written tests and teacher assessment. Printed test papers are completed under appropriate test conditions relative to the year group at regular intervals during the year .

What does intervention look like?

Following on from assessment, pupil progress is routinely tracked and gaps in learning identified.  Pupils who fall behind age-related expectations are targeted for maths intervention, according to their needs. For SEND pupils, intervention informs and is informed by pupils’ individual Pupil Learning Passports which are shared with parents.

Homework

All children receive weekly maths homework, depending on their age and stage of learning.

Monitoring

Teaching and learning is regularly monitored to ensure that it is good or better. This is done at regular points in the school year. Some of this includes looking at work in pupils’ books, talking to pupils, undertaking learning walks and observations and looking at planning and curriculum coverage.

Impact

Pupils leave us as confident, enthusiastic mathematicians who are keen to learn and unafraid to try. They know that maths is important and is something that they will use and benefit from throughout their education and future lives. They have a bank of knowledge and known facts that have been committed to long-term memory and which they can use at will. They approach problem-solving situations with enthusiasm and draw upon secure methods of calculation (mental and written) as a means to solve these. Pupils know their strengths and are also able to say something they need to work on.

Pupils each make progress from their own starting point and leave Hedworth Lane Primary School, at the end of Key Stage 2, having reached or exceeded age-related expectations in mathematics, in line with national outcomes.

 


        

          

            

              
              

                
              

            

            

              
              

                
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