Mathematics:

At Sparken Hill Academy, we believe the basic skills of mathematics are vital as a life skill for our children and we strive to spark curiosity, excitement and help nurture confidence in maths.

Intent- Our Vision for Maths

Our aim is for all children to develop mathematical vocabulary, knowledge and understanding of key concepts, to find connections allowing them to learn to reason and solve problems in an abstract way.

In Foundation 1, we follow the Development Matters Curriculum.

Power Maths is our Maths Mastery Programme that we have successfully introduced from Foundation 2 to year 6, to promote maths mastery throughout the school. This enriched approach cleverly combines interactive teaching tools, rich and quality textbooks, practice books and opportunity to use a plethora of resources.

The National Curriculum states:

‘A high-quality mathematics education 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.’

The aim for Maths in the national curriculum is for pupils to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

It is our intent to develop the national curriculum aims for Maths:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Implementation- Maths Planning & Sequencing of Knowledge & Skills    

Power Maths makes mastery practical and achievable by providing the structures, pathways, content, tools and support needed in the classroom. To develop mastery in maths children need to be enabled to acquire a deep understanding of maths concepts, structures and procedures, step by step. Complex mathematical concepts are built on simpler conceptual components and when children understand every step in the learning sequence, maths becomes transparent and makes logical sense.

Interactive lessons establish deep understanding in small steps, as well as effortless fluency in key facts such as tables and number bonds. The whole class works on the same content and no child is left behind.

Power Maths comprises a variety of high-quality resources;

• Each unit begins with clear objectives and expectations including the vocabulary specific to the unit.
• Discover, Share, and Think together sections promote discussion and introduce mathematical ideas logically, so that children understand more easily. Using appealing scenarios stimulate curiosity, helping children to identify the maths problem and discover patterns and relationships for themselves.
• Using a Concrete-Pictorial Abstract approach, clear mathematical models help children to make connections and grasp concepts. Using friendly, supportive characters help children develop a growth mind set by prompting them to think, reason and reflect.
• Challenge questions allow children to delve deeper into a concept and think differently questions encourage children to use reasoning as well as their mathematical knowledge to reach a solution.
• Each unit concludes with an End of Unit Check.

A wide range of resources are used to supplement lessons including Testbase, Target Your Maths, Learning by Questions (LBQ) as well as many more.

Children’s understanding and application of maths is assessed regularly within lessons, weeks, units, and across terms, years, and key stages. Assessment makes use of informal observations and both formative and summative judgements.

To complement our rich maths curriculum, we believe times tables are also key and all staff across school allocate a specific time in the week to ensure practise of these is taking place. We have a subscription to ‘Timestables Rockstars’ to support this.

Impact of our Maths Curriculum

Children at Sparken Hill Academy will love seeing themselves as mathematicians and collaborating together to become independent learners, we’re truly happy to know that’s how they will feel! As they progress through the school, they will increase confidence in fluency, problem solving and reasoning. Every child is able to reach their potential to be successful not only in our school but in their learning journey beyond and allow themselves to make mistakes, learning from them along the way.