The Curriculum Leaders for Maths are: Mrs C Justice & Miss W Beer
At The Redstart Primary School we believe the essential idea behind ‘teaching for mastery in mathematics’ is that all pupils can achieve. Teachers provide opportunities to develop the depth and rigour pupils need in order to make secure and sustained progress over time.
The whole class is taught mathematics together, with no differentiation by acceleration to new content. The learning needs of individual pupils are addressed through careful scaffolding, skillful questioning and appropriate intervention, in order to provide the necessary support and challenge. Precise mathematical language, coached in full sentences, is used by teachers, so mathematical ideas are conveyed with clarity and precision. Pupils are required to do the same.
Our curriculum is driven by the 2014 National Curriculum for mathematics. The aims of this are to ensure all pupils:
Maths is planned based on the Redstart lesson design which is supported by a range of resources such as Can Do Maths and White Rose Hub,.
Short-term plans identify small key learning points. Tasks and questions are designed using variation theory (do it: what it is/what it is also; twist it: what it is not; deepen it: challenges to apply learning). Examples and tasks focus on developing conceptual understanding, practise the thinking process and avoid mechanical repetition. Concrete and pictorial representations are chosen carefully to help build procedural and conceptual knowledge together. Sufficient time is spent on key concepts to ensure learning is well developed and deeply embedded before moving on. The use of high quality materials and tasks to support learning and provide access to the mathematics is integrated into lessons. These may include textbooks, visual images and concrete resources. Challenge is provided by going deeper rather than accelerating too early into new mathematical content.
Hook: An anchor task/hook is frequently used to engage the pupils in their learning. Pupils are given time to explore problems.
Teach it: Concrete and pictorial representations are chosen carefully to help build procedural and conceptual knowledge together.
Practise it: Children practise their new learning (and methods) with support as needed from a peer or adult.
Do it: Children have a go and a few straightforward examples independently, including what it is and What it is also.
Twist it: ‘What it is not’ (a key misconception) is used to secure understanding of what the learning is. Children have a go independently and a class discussion explores it further.
All pupils are expected to develop at least a secure understanding of each small key learning point.
Deepen it: opportunities to solve problems applying the key learning.
Conclude it: a summary of key learning.
Pupils’ difficulties and misconceptions are identified through immediate formative assessment and addressed with rapid intervention within the lesson and/or same day/week intervention.
Maths on Track (MoT) sessions beyond the maths lesson are used to support practice, consolidation and/or immediate same day/week intervention.
MoT is a 25-30 minute daily session that is crucial in securing sustained progress. The session is used to build a flexible and efficient arithmetic toolkit, provide repeated practise and apply the week’s learning, provide opportunities for immediate intervention and for solving problems.
Accurate assessment of learning will inform decisions about the content of the MoT sessions.
The impact of maths at Redstart is seen in a number of ways.
Records of these are kept in subject leader files and on the school drive.
