Maths
In Mathematics, we strive for all children to have a positive attitude towards Mathematics, to be fluent across the fundamental mathematical concepts and to have a secure and deep understanding of their mathematics so that they can reason and apply their understanding to problem solving situations. Importantly, we aim for all children to see the value of mathematics and how this is used around them in their everyday life so that children leave our school with a solid foundation in the subject that they can build on and develop in their secondary school education and beyond.
The aims of the National Curriculum are that children are fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, can reason mathematically and can problem solve by applying their mathematics.
Click here for our Maths curriculum overview
Maths at Immanuel
The aims of the National Curriculum are that children are fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, can reason mathematically and can problem solve by applying their mathematics.
How we achieve this for our children:
- Develop a positive mindset in our children towards mathematics
- Ensure children are confident and fluent with number in written and mental calculations, identifying the most efficient way to solve a calculation and are able to spot connections between number
- Encourage children to become problem solvers, who can reason, think logically, work systematically and apply their knowledge of mathematics
- Use and promote the accurate use of mathematical vocabulary in children
- Collaborative working where children are encouraged to explain their mathematical understanding
- Encourage independent learners who have the perseverance to approach problems in a range of ways to find a solution
- Use real life contexts wherever possible so that the mathematics becomes more ‘real’ for the children
Our Approach
In September 2016, Immanuel began the transition towards a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Within mathematics, Immanuel view mastery as all children knowing how to do something in mathematics and why it is done this way so that they have a deep understanding. Our aim is for all children to gain a deep understanding of the mathematical concepts that we teach, before we move on to new content. We believe that if children know the ‘how’ and the ‘why‘ in mathematics then they will become fluent mathematicians who can use and apply their understanding in a range of different situations. Our rationale lies in the 2014 National Curriculum:
- “The expectation is that most pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace.”
- “Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.”
- “Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.”
The main principles of teaching for mastery in Mathematics
Our teaching for mastery is focused on the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM’s) 5 Big Ideas:
- Lessons are organised so that there are opportunities for Mathematical Thinking which ensure children reason and connect their understanding with the other areas of their mathematics.
- The Representation and Structure of different mathematical concepts ensure that children have a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. This is done by using a range of concrete, pictorial and abstract representations so that children understand the structure of number and that patterns are exposed to the children to enable them to generalise.
We aim to develop Coherence by planning small, connected steps so that children see how mathematics is linked and can make these connections
- Teachers use both procedural and conceptual variation within their lessons so that children see mathematics in different ways. At Immanuel, we use a range of resources to represent mathematics; we represent calculations in different ways; we talk about what something is and, importantly, what something is not and we encourage the children to verbalise their understanding at different stages.
- We have a strong focus on fluency, for example on number and times table facts, to ensure that children can access the different area of mathematics.
Other principles that we embed throughout our teaching in mathematics:
- The belief that everyone can learn mathematics to the highest levels
- The view that if you think that something is difficult rather than saying ‘I can’t do it!’, the view is ‘I can’t do it yet!’
- We believe that mistakes are valuable, as they lead to learning
- We view questions as important; children are encouraged to question any concepts to develop and extend their learning
- Learning something in depth is much more important than speed
Calculation Policies
Please see our calculation polices for more details on how we teach calculation throughout the school.
How to help your child with Maths
BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/numeracy.shtml
BBC Bitesize KS1 Maths http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/
BBC Bitesize KS2 Maths http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/
https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/fun-maths-games-activities-for-kids/
https://www.tts-group.co.uk/home+learning+activities.html
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/
White Rose has created maths learning to carry out at home - click on your child's year group below to access Summer Term learning.
Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2
Stick and split app: Stick and Split - Times Tables Game - A non competitive game that ehlps to investigate numbers within numbers to support multiplication and division. Very visual and engaging for children that love to problem solve.
Times Tables Rockstars:Times Tables Rock Stars (ttrockstars.com)
Numbots: Numbots Game
