Intent

Maths is a journey and long-term goal, achieved through exploration, clarification, practice and application over time. At each stage of learning, children should be able to demonstrate a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic and be able to build on this over time.

The deep and deepest levels are what we are aiming for by teaching maths using the Mastery approach.

We intend to do this by:

• Ensuring our children have access to a high quality maths curriculum that is both challenging and enjoyable, and builds upon previous learning.
• Providing our children with a variety of mathematical opportunities, which will enable them to make the connections.
• Showing the children that maths underpins much of our daily lives
• Ensuring children are confident mathematicians who are not afraid to take risks.
• Fully develop independent learners with inquisitive minds who have secure mathematical foundations and an interest in self-improvement
• Providing children with the opportunity to apply their mathematical knowledge across other curriculum areas.

Implementation

Our implementation is developed through secure understanding of the curriculum and subject area.

Planning

At St Mary Immaculate we currently follow the Arc Maths Mastery plans as the basis for implementing the statutory requirements of the programme of study for mathematics.

Planning is undertaken at three levels:

Long term: National Curriculum

Medium term: Planning is detailed in the Arc Maths Mastery planning. It gives the main teaching objectives (small steps) for each term and ensures an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term. This planning gives ideas for mathematical talk, fluency, problem solving and reasoning.

Short term: planning is carried out weekly by the class teacher supported by the use of the Arc Maths Mastery materials and our school calculation policy. These plans list the specific learning objectives and details of how the lessons are to be taught, including key vocabulary and resources required.

• Daily lessons include a clear lesson intention ‘Can I’ and clear success criteria ‘Steps to Success’.
• Daily lessons are taught in 6 parts: review, introduce new learning, talk task, develop new learning, independent task & plenary and incorporate where necessary:

Concrete, pictorial, abstract

Objects, pictures, words, numbers and symbols are everywhere. The mastery approach incorporates all of these to help children explore and demonstrate mathematical ideas, enrich their learning experience and deepen understanding. Together, these elements help cement knowledge so pupils truly understand what they’ve learnt.

All pupils, when introduced to a new key concept, should have the opportunity to build competency in this topic by taking this approach. Pupils are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols.

Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.

Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.

Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid, children can move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

Teaching

‘Quality first teaching’ linked to teaching standards:

1. ‘Know where their children are’ through the use of summative assessment, prior learning, assessment and maths talk.
2. ‘Understand where their children need to be’ through a secure understanding of year group expectations, and/or pre key stage expectations and ongoing, formative assessment.
3. ‘Know how they are going to get them there’ through the use of a range of strategies to promote independence, mastery and high expectations of ALL.
4. Effectively deploy adults, specifically during introductions, plenaries and catch-up sessions.
5. Plan for progression during and between lessons.

Assessment

1. Summative/reported – SATs
2. Standardisation (Year R -Year 6) – meetings, moderation (in house, cross school, cluster)
3. Summative/diagnostic – Arc Maths Mastery
4. Formative/ongoing – see Marking, Assessment and Feedback Policy

Review

The suitability and impact of this chosen scheme is reviewed continuously to ensure the correct resources are being used to achieve the desired impact. 

Impact

Pupils will leave us prepared for the next stage in their lives with:

• Quick recall of facts and procedures.
• The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics.
• The ability to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics.
• Confidence and belief that they can achieve.
• The knowledge that maths underpins most of our daily lives.
• Skills and concepts that have been mastered.

A mathematical concept or skill has been mastered when a child can show it in multiple ways, using mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations. This is the goal for our pupils.