Mathematics

Mathematics Vision Statement

At St John Bosco we aim to deliver a rich, balanced and progressive maths curriculum that teaches children to reason, problem solve and develop fluent conceptual understanding in each area; this empowers children to understand core concepts as well as making links to real life.

We believe that mathematics is essential to everyday life and necessary to nearly all forms of employment, particularly in science, technology and engineering. It is with this in mind that we endeavour to ensure that all children develop a healthy and enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their life.

Mathematics Implementation

At the heart of the delivery of our core resource ‘Power Maths’, is a clearly structured teaching and learning process that helps us make certain that every child masters each maths concept securely and deeply. For each year group, the curriculum is broken down into core concepts, taught in units. A unit divides into smaller learning steps – lessons. Step by step, strong foundations of cumulative knowledge and understanding are built. Where possible, it sees all children learning the same concept, each finding and mastering challenge at their own level within their year group.

One of the key underlying elements of Power Maths is its practical approach, allowing teachers to make maths real and relevant to the children, no matter their age. Manipulatives are essential resources for both key stages and Power Maths encourages children to use these at every opportunity; continuing the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach right through to Year 6.  This maths teaching is enhanced by daily arithmetic practice, providing children with the opportunity to develop their ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.  In instances where children have not understood a concept, we employ a ‘Same Day Intervention’ model. This model is designed to enable pupils to “keep up” not “catch up”.  Teachers mark pupils' work during the lesson or soon after, so that pupils who need extra support get it the same day, enabling them to keep up. 

For those children that have more significant gaps in their learning, we use intervention materials in small, adult-led groups.  These targeted sessions can often utilise concrete resources and are short and progressive to enable children to understand key concepts.

TT Rockstars and Numbots are used in Key Stage 1 & 2, providing the children with the opportunity to practise times tables and become fluent as soon as possible and to improve their understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction.

To help further support our schools approaches to mathematics, we currently have a Y2 and a Y4 teacher working with the North West Maths Mastery Hub. Through our link with the North West Mastery Maths Hub, in 2021/2022, Key Stage 1 will be taking part in the ‘Mastering Number’ project which aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. 

Impact

The Power Maths programme aims to ensure all children experience challenge and success in Mathematics.  We therefore hope that our journey towards embedding the mastery approach will:

• Support teachers and support staff to fully understand and underpin the pedagogy.  
• Encourage children to be happy learners who will talk enthusiastically about their learning, have a positive attitude, have the confidence to 'have a go' and are eager to further their progress in mathematics.  
• Enable children to experience a challenge and success in mathematics by developing a growth mindset.  
• Permit teachers to observe children tackling and mastering mathematical concepts and skills, confidently showing this using multiple ways, including manipulatives, visual representations and the mathematical language to explain their ideas.  
• Improve children's fluency in number which will be evidenced in successful arithmetic scores.  
• Provide accurate teacher assessment of the depth of learning, which will inform the teaching as well as intervention to support and enable the success of each child.  
• See progress becoming more accelerated due to the structure of the lesson and the impact of immediate, tailored interventions.  
• Have a greater proportion of our reception children achieving age-related expectations with the early learning goals.  
• Achieve high standards of achievement at the end of each Key Stage in-line with that of the national average, as well as an increasing proportion of children demonstrating greater depth at the end of each phase.  
• Have confident children who know how and why mathematics is used in the outside world and in the workplace.  They will know about the different ways in which mathematics can be used to support their future potential, understand the importance and relevance and recognise that mathematics is a vital life skill.

    Curriculum Mathematics Progression Map

      Reception Mathematics Curriculum Map

      Year 1 Mathematics Curriculum Map

       Year 2 Mathematics Curriculum Map

      Year 3 Mathematics Curriculum Map

      Year 4 Mathematics Curriculum Map

      Year 5 Mathematics Curriculum Map

.    Year 6 Mathematics Curriculum Map