A happy and healthy place to learn
The Primrose Lane Curriculum
for long term learning
MATHEMATICS
‘Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.’
Albert Einstein
Our curriculum has three layers:
Layer 1: The guiding principles of the statutory framework for EYFS & The National Curriculum aims |
Our Early Years setting follows the curriculum as outlined in the latest version of the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). In Years 1-6, we are required to cover The National Curriculum. The guiding principles of the EYFS and the aims set out in The National Curriculum (especially sections 3-6) direct the core aims for the curriculum; our curriculum intent complements both of these.
Layer 2: Our school’s core aim |
We want Primrose Lane to be a happy and healthy place to learn. This core aim permeates our school and ethos, whether in the classroom or around and about school.
Layer 3: Our curriculum aims |
We deliver the content in ways which achieve the following intentions (1-4 feature in the EYFS framework and 5-9, many of which feature in the National Curriculum Purpose of Study for each subject):
Our curriculum is implemented in a way that covers the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and our own curriculum age-related expectations. Throughout, teachers will search for purposeful, meaningful opportunities to extend and deepen pupils’ learning at the appropriate level for individual children’s needs.
We want Primrose Lane to be a happy and healthy place to learn. The more enjoyable a topic is, the more engaged our pupils will be, and the more we will be able to meet the needs of all children in our school community. Visits, visitors, themed weeks and other enriching activities help to make the curriculum enjoyable.
Ofsted sets out a criterion to judge the quality of education: ‘the extent to which schools are equipping pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.’ (School inspection handbook: Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, November 2019, point 178, p43). The skills and knowledge set out in our age-related expectations for each subject mean our curriculum content is very relevant for our pupils’ present and future lives.
The National Curriculum sets out ‘to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement’ (section 3.1, p6). Teachers introduce pupils to British and world-wide achievements, past and present. Further, we want to promote an appreciation and sense of awe and wonder when learning about the natural world.
A characteristic of effective learning is creative thinking – we want our children to develop this from the outset of their learning journey: our children will be creative in their ideas, in their questions, in their solutions. For our teachers, our curriculum has some flexibility built into it so that they can be creative, linking learning with books that inspire, for example.
The National Curriculum – purpose of study for Mathematics
‘Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.’
Curriculum Intent
Maths is a really important part of everyday life. The intention of our Maths curriculum is for pupils to:
Aims of subject
In addition, and importantly, when teaching maths, we aim to ensure that all pupils:
2. Our curriculum implementation
Early Years
Our Early Years mathematics curriculum follows our whole school ‘teaching for mastery’ approach and is based on the White Rose schemes of learning for Reception. As there is no scheme for Nursery we have devised our own curriculum for the youngest children in school. We prioritise the direct teaching of the whole class, with sufficient time to practise and rehearse important processes and skills. We follow the mastery approach and (Concrete) use of practical resources, then (Pictoral) visual images and representations, before (Abstract) abstract concepts and notation (The CPA Approach). More formal, written recording is introduced, but only when understanding at each stage is secure and automatic.
In preparation for Year 1, we supplement the ELG for number by including some content from the Year 1 national curriculum programme of study – namely the additive composition of number. We aim to deliver a mathematics curriculum that embeds mathematical thinking and talk. During the course of the year, key concepts are revisited and developed further. By the end of Reception, our aim is for children to be fluent in counting, recognising small numbers of items, comparing numbers and solving problems.
Planning for KS1 & 2
The National Curriculum (2014) sets out expectations for each year group in Key Stages 1 and 2. We have created lists of Maths age-related expectations (‘ARE Grids’) which have taken the National Curriculum content and listed these in a format which teachers can use as an overview for the year and for their planning and assessments.
Teachers use the White Rose Maths Schemes of Learning as the basis of their planning whilst using their professional judgement to adapt these to meet the needs of their class, again, using the CPA Approach (as specified within the Early Years Implementation).
Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects (with teachers providing opportunities to do this across their year group curriculum).
The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Therefore, we must be ready and confident to build in challenges and puzzles. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice (or intervention), before moving on.
As a result of the COVID lockdown, teaching of Maths became part of our home learning programme. WRMH and Classroom Secrets both put together supported systems to ensure continuity and parental support. From September 2020, we have been using the updated WRMH scheme of learning, which recaps and ensures no key objectives have been missed. Teachers regularly assess their class to decide whether recap ‘small steps’ need to be addressed in prior learning or whether children can increase pace and be further challenged on their depth of knowledge.
Organisation and time
Key Stage 1
In KS1, there is a daily maths lesson of between 45 and 60 minutes for all children in mixed ability classes.
Key Stage 2
In KS2, we have a daily maths lesson of approximately 60 minutes for all children in mixed ability classes.
In addition to the daily maths lessons, teachers may also provide:
Cross-curricular
To support cross-curricular learning of mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding, regular maths learning is planned within topic and/or science lessons. We don’t expect full lessons; for example, 15-20 minutes where maths can be seen, used and applied would be appropriate without compromising time spent on foundation subjects (for example: data representing the percentage of mould on bread in a line graph in Science; measuring distances of throws/jumps in PE; conducting fieldwork in Geography using four and six figure grid references; comparing dates in History and calculating the differences between eras; or representing line and symmetry in Art).
3. Our curriculum impact
Assessment in Early Years
At Primrose Lane, ongoing assessment is an integral part of the learning and development processes. Staff observe pupils to identify their level of achievement and interests. These observations are used to shape future planning. Staff also take into account observations shared by parents and/or carers.
Within the first two weeks that a child starts Reception, staff will administer the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA).
At the end of the EYFS, staff complete the EYFS profile for each child. Pupils are assessed against the 17 early learning goals, indicating whether they are:
The profile reflects ongoing observations, and discussions with parents/carers. The results of the profile are shared with the child’s family.
The profile is moderated internally (referring to the Development Matters guidance) and in partnership with other local schools, to ensure consistent assessment judgements. EYFS profile data is submitted to the local authority.
Pupil achievement and progress in KS1 and KS2
We evaluate the impact of our curriculum in several ways.
We measure pupil achievement (the acquisition of knowledge and skills) and progress (knowing more, remembering more) using a number of strategies, including:
Monitoring
Monitoring of planning and lesson observations, alongside scrutiny of progress in books and learning conversations with children, ensure that all children are provided with opportunities to achieve and that they are successful in achieving what is expected at their stage of learning.
If we feel a child has not met a small step objective, there are a number of options available to the teacher: same day intervention is vital to quickly resolve misconceptions and for some children pre-learning is offered; we have ‘Plus 1’ and ‘Power of 2’ as interventions that close gaps and ensure fluency across ‘sticky knowledge’; and teachers are encouraged to ensure concepts have been proven and mastered before moving the children on to the next step.
Whole school areas for development are identified as a result of data analysis. The data analysis enables professional development to be implemented to ‘close the gap’ in these curriculum areas for all children in all year groups.
Pupil attitudes
We measure pupil attitudes using a number of strategies, including:
Early Learning Goal Descriptors – Mathematics
ELG: Number
Children at the expected level of development will:
Supplemented with the Y1 expectations for Number – addition and subtraction:
Pupils should be taught to:
ELG: Numerical Patterns
Children at the expected level of development will:
These are the Mathematics National Curriculum Objectives that teachers use to monitor and assess children in their respective year groups.