Tower Hill Primary School
Maths Policy
At Tower Hill Primary School we believe Mathematics is a tool for everyday life. Mathematics teaches us how to make sense of the world around us through developing a child’s ability to calculate, communicate, reason and to solve problems. We endeavor to ensure all children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics so that they develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. Children are taught to use and apply their mathematics in practical tasks and real-life situations and to use these skills to acquire further knowledge and understanding.
At Tower Hill we aim to:
- Enable children to achieve their full potential by providing opportunities that are challenging, enjoyable and accessible to all.
- Promote enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning through mental mathematics, practical activity, exploration and discussion.
- Promote confidence and competence with numbers and the number system.
- Develop mathematical skills, knowledge and quick recall of basic facts.
- Develop children’s ability to solve problems, to reason, to think logically and to work systematically and accurately.
- Build initiative and an ability to work both independently and in cooperation with others.
- For all children to understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
Teaching and Learning:
Mathematics is a core subject within the National Curriculum and is taught every day from Year R to Year 6. Mathematics is taught to whole class groups in sessions that last between 45 and 60 minutes. During this session 10- 15 minutes should be spent each day on mental maths, covering for example: identified areas of weakness, number bonds, whole school non-negotiables and multiplication tables.
At the Foundation Stage:
Teaching and learning promotes social skills and develops the mathematical
understanding of young children through: observation of number and pattern in the environment and daily routines, board games, large and small construction, stories, songs, rhymes and finger games, sand and water play, two and three dimensional work with a range of materials, imaginative play, cooking and shopping, outdoor play and playground games.
By the end of Reception the children should be prepared for the dedicated mathematics lesson of approximately 45 minutes.
A Typical Lesson
A typical 45 to 60 minute lesson in year 1 to 6 will be structured as follows:
- Oral work and mental calculation. This will involve whole-class work to rehearse, sharpen and develop mental and oral skills although children may be divided into groups, each working with a different adult in order that this activity can be appropriately differentiated.
- The main teaching activity. This will include both teaching input and pupil activities and a balance between whole class, grouped, paired and individual work.
- A plenary. This will involve work with the whole class to sort out misconceptions, identify progress, to summarise key facts and ideas and what to remember, to make links to other work and to discuss next steps.
Planning:
Each class teacher is responsible for the mathematics in their class in consultation with and with guidance from the mathematics Leader. The class teachers use a common planning format on which to plan their daily lessons and the learning objective and success criteria is present in every lesson. Planning is collected and monitored by the mathematics coordinator. All class teachers must ensure that when planning, children are given the opportunity to carry out problem solving activities each week, related to the mathematics topic they have been learning about. This could be in the form of an open ended/Rich Maths Task.
All mathematics lessons are differentiated to support all levels of learners including children who find mathematics difficult and also activities that provide appropriate challenges for children who are high achievers in mathematics. When additional support staff are available to support groups or individual children they work collaboratively with the class teacher
Teachers of the Reception class base their teaching on objectives in Early Years Foundation Stage Document. Towards the end of the Reception Year teachers aim to draw the elements of a daily mathematics lesson together so that by the time children move into Year 1 they are familiar with a 45-minute lesson.
During Mathematics lessons at Tower Hill Primary School children are grouped by ability. Through careful planning and preparation we aim to ensure that throughout the school children are given opportunities for:
o Practical activities and mathematical games.
o Problem solving.
o Individual, group and whole class activities and discussions.
o Open ended and closed tasks.
o A range of methods for calculating dependent on ability and type of task. E.g. mental methods, pencil and paper methods and use of a calculator.
o Working with computers as a mathematical tool.
o Directly working with a teacher or a learning support assistant.
o The use of high quality maths language
Whole School Non-Negotiables
A set of objectives for each group define what each child should know at the end of the year. These are the fundamental basics of mathematics that we believe all children should be able to grasp in order to access the rest of the mathematics curriculum Teachers closely monitor the progress children are making against these objectives throughout the year and data is passed to the maths coordinator to analyse. Teachers teach discrete non-negotiable sessions as well as incorporate them into their weekly planning.
Recording in Mathematics
Children are taught a variety of calculation strategies in mathematics, and are helped to develop informal and personal methods of calculation. They are encouraged to use the most appropriate and convenient method of recording for the task they have been set. All children are encouraged to work tidily and neatly when recording their work so that they develop systematic approaches to their learning. We have a calculation policy that clearly shows appropriate methods that should be used across all year groups and show how the calculations should be recorded.
Marking
All work in maths books should be marked. Children should be given a positive comment and an area for development. The area for development may be given in the form of a question for the child to answer which may consolidate the learning that has taken place or it may extend the child’s learning. Marking should be purposeful and relevant to the individual child and their next steps in learning. Children should always be given time, either prior to the next lesson or at the start of the next lesson, to respond to this marking.
Assessment:
Monitoring will take place by the class teacher, subject manager and head teacher on a regular basis in the form of observations, data analysis, pupil progress meetings, work sampling and pupil conferencing. Assessment will be used to inform teaching in a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessment.
Assessment will be carried out in the following ways:
Summative assessment will be an informal part of every lesson. The teacher will share the objectives for the lesson with the children and make sure they are clear what is being expected of them to successfully achieve the objective. Children will then self-assess against “I can” statements at the end of a lesson using the Success Criteria. The short term assessment will also involve the teacher checking the children’s understanding at the end of the session to inform future planning and lessons.
Formative assessment will take place throughout the year and will take the form of the PUMA termly mathematics tests. The results of these tests will also be reported to the Maths Managers and Senior Leadership Team for analysis.
Learning Resources:
Each classroom has an area in the classroom set aside for basic everyday, mathematics equipment. Equipment that is used less frequently is stored on central shelving between the two doors leading to Reception and Year 2.
Children should be shown how to take care of the equipment and resources that they use and they should be encouraged progressively to select the equipment for the task in which they are engaged.
Use of ICT:
ICT should be used as a tool to enhance, clarify and extend the teaching and learning of mathematics and engage children’s interest. As well as web based resources there are a range of maths resources available in the ICT suite including a bank of IPADs.
Evaluation and Monitoring
Outcomes in terms of Achievement (progress and attainment) will be monitored by the Maths Leader in order to inform the Senior Leadership Team who will report to the Governing Body on a termly basis in the school’s aim of achieving the highest standards for all pupils.
This policy will be reviewed on a three year basis or sooner dependent on statutory guidance.
