Mathematics

Mathematics plays an essential role in understanding the world we live in, so we are committed to excellent maths teaching at Robert Blair.

We strongly believe that the major aim of effective mathematics teaching is to enable children to be confident with all aspects of the subject. It is our belief that all children can develop as mathematicians given the right opportunities and environment, and we strive to develop a positive, motivating approach to mathematics. The inclusive nature of our approach ensures that all pupils have equal access to the programme for mathematics regardless of gender, ability, ethnicity or background.

We offer all our pupils a high-quality mathematical programme with an effective learning environment that promotes curiosity and enjoyment for maths. We encourage all children to value making mistakes and see errors as a great opportunity to learn. Children are taught to use a range of mental methods for calculation, and to choose the most appropriate for a given problem and be able to explain and justify their reasoning using the correct mathematical vocabulary. Most importantly, we aim to secure children’s base knowledge of mathematical facts so that they can use and apply these to calculations and problem solving.

Teachers use a variety of approaches to help all pupils develop an inquiring mind and the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge to participate successfully in everyday life. All children are supported to develop financial literacy so that they can gain successful employment in the world, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We offer a wide range of practical activities to help children can carry out maths investigations which make lessons both enjoyable and challenging.

Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and we also use the White Rose materials to structure our maths topics and ensure all areas are covered fully. We teach children using the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) model. This means that learning is layered so that children use physical resources and visuals to understand mathematical concepts before seeing the problem in the context of numbers and/or words. This allows our children to create a solid foundation on which new, complex learning can be built upon. Our calculation policy uses the CPA model to show the progression of written methods for the four operations. The National Curriculum emphasises the importance of teaching young mathematicians, fluency (basic facts), reasoning and problem solving.

The attainment and progress of children is carefully tracked against National Curriculum objectives. We follow the National approach to assessment using statutory assessments at regular points e.g., Year 2 SATs, Year 4 multiplication test and Year 6 SATs. Children are also tested regularly in Year 3,4 and 5 using the NFER tests to make sure we know which children need additional support or extra challenge. However, ongoing teacher (formative) assessment in class happens in every lesson and this allows teachers to identify children’s next steps within all year groups. Formative assessment is built into lesson design and enables adults to provide immediate support to children and informs teachers’ planning and interventions. Teachers have ongoing conversations with the children throughout lessons to check their understanding. Children are also encouraged to assess their own understanding of concepts and strategies and have time to respond to the teachers’ marking and verbal feedback.

Impact

When children leave Robert Blair they will:

  • Have an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics.
  • Be curious mathematicians who think deeply about the world, approaching problems creatively and flexibly, including breaking problems down into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
  • Have increased mathematical fluency in the fundamentals of mathematic and demonstrate their thinking clearly, logically and creatively.
  • Be confident in taking risks, have range of strategies to draw upon and the resilience to tackle unknown challenges.
  • Have an understanding of the concepts which underpin procedures.
  • Be able to reason mathematically and to make rich connections between the different mathematical domains.
  • Know’ numbers; develop a number sense and be able to recall and apply knowledge rapidly, accurately and efficiently.
  • Be able to move fluently between different representations of mathematical ideas.

Useful links:

https://whiteroseeducation.com/
https://numbots.com/
https://students.doodlelearning.com/
https://ttrockstars.com/

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