Maths in St Thomas Becket offers a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils and is successfully adapted, designed and developed for all to become fluent in the fundamentals of the mathematics, learn to reason mathematically and be able to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication. We ensure that children have access to a high quality maths curriculum that is both challenging and enjoyable. We aim for all pupils to become confident mathematicians who are not afraid to take risks; develop as independent learners with inquisitive minds and an interest in self-improvement.
Maths curriculum in St Thomas Becket is coherently planned and sequenced through a careful planning of maths curriculum maps for every year group and is based on National Curriculum and EYFS Curriculum. The learning and teaching of maths takes into account all the children, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities through thorough and rigorous planning and assessment. Teachers offer Quality First Teaching to all pupils through their expert knowledge of the subject as well as presenting information clearly and encouraging appropriate discussion. We hold termly Pupil Progress meetings with class teachers and SLT to discuss children’s progress and intervention plans.
Daily sessions of Big Maths in years 1 to 6 and Little Maths in Reception give solid support to all students to develop fluency and pace in performing key mathematical skills so they become second nature. Weekly CLIC and Learn-its tests challenge our pupils to master the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. It also assists teachers to plan next steps in learning effectively.
Abacus, WhiteRose, TestBase, NCETM and MathsFrame support the development of reasoning and high-order thinking skills through rich connections across mathematical ideas, developing the mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof. As a school, we use a wide range of approaches such as concrete, pictorial and abstract to embed key concepts in maths. We help children develop different ways to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge through visual representations and a range of different types of reasoning tasks. Pupils’ ability to solve problems is nurtured during lessons through exposure to a variety of strategies and modelling good practice. Rich mathematical experiences are used so that pupils experience a variety of increasingly challenging problems in a variety of contexts. The Learning Challenge Curriculum underpins all our planning and fosters links between the subjects so children can apply math skills and their mathematical knowledge to science, computing, art and other subjects.
Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. Regular maths homework, including on-line maths games and BigMaths activities, also contributes to supporting our pupils with reinforcement of the maths skills for their year group.
As a school we celebrate maths learning wherever possible, for example in taking part in the annual Maths QuizClub with other schools. In St Thomas Becket we provide regular training opportunities to all teachers and staff working with children to ensure the consistency of the teaching approaches and methods in maths.
The children enjoy maths at St Thomas Becket and have a positive view of themselves as maths learners. They are confident about their learning and can talk about their maths experience well. By the end of each key stage pupils know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study. They can explain their thinking using mathematical terminology. The children in St Thomas Becket are well prepared for the next stage of education and their adult lives. School data is used effectively to support the children and move them forward. School assessment systems and books show good progress for all pupils and effective support in place for vulnerable groups. All teachers and adults working with children have secure understanding of maths systems in place and methods taught.