The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all children:
- Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that children have conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately
- Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
- Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
These principles inform our teaching at Abbots Green Academy and the National Curriculum Summary provides an overview of how this breaks down into Key Stages. A more detailed analysis of what a child is expected to learn in each Year Group is contained within the Progression Map document. Teachers from Year 1 to Year 6 use detailed schemes of learning published by the White Rose Maths Hub to plan effective maths lessons. These are adapted as appropriate using teachers’ assessment of pupils’ learning.
In the Early Years children develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematics through play, in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments. These experiences begin in our Evergreen Nursery with children aged 2 years old and continue until the end of the reception year
Through the provision of a wide variety of mathematical opportunities / experiences inspired by the Curiosity Approach, children can build upon and apply their developing understanding of number and spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape space and measure.
Children develop a strong base of mathematical knowledge and vocabulary through active learning. They are regularly assessed against their developmental milestones and at the end of the reception year against the statutory Early Learning Goals.
An overview of the White Rose scheme for each Year Group is detailed below; this scheme is supplemented through the use of a variety of resources, and additionally, to reinforce Times Tables fluency we subscribe to Times Tables Rockstars, primarily for KS2 children. For younger pupils, with a focus on addition and subtraction, we also subscribe to the sister site Numbots (see links for websites). For Our Calculation Policy - which underpins our teaching of mathematics – see the separate tab. In addition we have links to the Trust’s Maths Advisor’s calculation videos as well as NCETM’s lesson and calculation videos.
To assess our children’s learning against our curriculum we undertake PiXL assessments for Years 2-6 on a termly basis in addition to regular teacher assessment in the classroom. SATs are national tests that children take twice during their primary school life: Firstly, at the end of Key Stage 1 (KS1) in Year 2, and then secondly, at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) in Year 6. Additionally children are expected to take the Multiplication Tables Check to test their knowledge of times tables at the end of Year 4.