Maths
At our school, we aim to develop confident, resilient and enthusiastic mathematicians who recognise the importance of mathematics in everyday life. Through a mastery approach, all learners develop a deep, secure, and adaptable understanding of mathematical concepts.
Key Purpose & Mastery Approach
Key Purpose of Mathematics
- Develop Fluency: Build secure number knowledge, efficient calculation strategies, and rapid recall of key mathematical facts.
- Develop Reasoning: Explain mathematical thinking, identify patterns, make connections, and justify answers using precise vocabulary.
- Develop Problem-Solving: Apply knowledge to unfamiliar, real-life, and increasingly complex problems while building resilience and strategy selection.
How Mastery is Achieved
- Small, Connected Steps: Sequenced learning builds on prior knowledge using National Curriculum and Grammasaurus resources.
- CPA Approach: Concrete resources, pictorial representations, and abstract notation are used purposefully across all year groups.
- Inclusive Scaffolding: All pupils cover key concepts together; rapid graspers are challenged through greater depth and reasoning rather than acceleration.
- “Speaking Maths”: Daily use of modelling, sentence starters, and structured “maths talk time” to articulate mathematical thinking.
Core Concept & Key Areas of Maths
Key Areas of Study
Place Value • Four Operations • Fractions / Decimals / Percentages • Shape • Measure • Statistics
Embedding Executive Functioning Skills
| Cognitive Domain | Opportunities to Practise & Embed Skills in Maths |
|---|---|
| Communication & Language | Speaking in full sentences to explain thinking processes; expanding and refining mathematical vocabulary through structured discussions. |
| Working Memory | Retaining key numerical data, following multi-step instructions, performing mental calculations, and holding interim answers in mind. |
| Attention & Focus | Engaging in short fluency warm-ups, identifying pertinent information within word problems, self-checking calculations, and sustaining concentration. |
| Planning & Organisation | Selecting appropriate concrete/pictorial tools, deciding on efficient calculation strategies, organizing written methods cleanly, and mapping multi-step problem solutions. |
| Cognitive Flexibility | Comparing alternative methods, representing concepts in varied ways, adapting strategies mid-problem, and recognizing multiple solutions. |
| Inhibitory Control | Pausing before answering, reading problem details carefully, resisting impulsive guessing, and verifying strategy suitability. |
| Self-Monitoring & Resilience | Estimating prior to calculation, identifying errors independently, normalizing productive struggle, and refining work following feedback. |
Progression: Early Years / Foundational Outcomes
Early Learning Goals (EYFS / Reception)
- Number: Deep understanding of numbers to 10 (including composition); subitise up to 5; automatically recall number bonds to 5 (including subtraction facts) and key bonds to 10 (including doubles).
- Numerical Patterns: Verbally count beyond 20 recognizing system patterns; compare quantities up to 10 (greater than, less than, same); explore and represent spatial/numerical patterns.
Ensuring Inclusive Practice & Adaptations
Targeted adaptations to ensure accessibility, confidence, and success for all learners in Mathematics.
| Broad Area of Need | Specific Barriers | Planned Adaptations |
|---|---|---|
| Communication & Interaction | • Expressive language • Receptive language • Social communication | • Visual prompts, quiet pre-teaching sessions, and step-by-step video models. • Front-load expectations around mistakes being normal; use visual frustration scales, breaks, and peer check-ins. • Structured group tasks to support mathematical dialogue and peer collaboration. |
| Cognition & Learning | • Working memory • Dyscalculia • Executive functioning • Dyslexia / Literacy • Aphantasia | • Visual prompts, written instructions, and exercise book references to look back/forward. • Pre-prepared measurement gauges, balance scales, and digital scales for concrete validation. • Model-and-photograph approaches; using notebooks as working memory supports. • Visual cues and consistent, well-established lesson routines. • “Design by doing” using concrete manipulative modeling rather than mental visualization. |
| Sensory & Physical | • Visual Impairment (VI) • Hearing Impairment (HI) • Sensory Overload (Autism/SPD) • Fine Motor / Dyspraxia | • Tactile patterns/guides, adaptive tools, self-threading needles, spring-loaded scissors, enhanced lighting. • Visual supports, signing, direct line-of-sight instruction for lip-reading. • Quiet working spaces, low-arousal zones, headphones, wall-facing seating options. • Adaptive cutlery/tools, targeted cutting practice, gross and fine motor preparation work. |
| SEMH | • Anxiety & Perfectionism • Impulse control | • Explicitly teach management of productive struggle; offer whiteboards for easy editing. • Predictable routines, increased adult support, and integrated sensory/movement regulation breaks. |