Mathematics Curriculum Intent

At Nether Edge Primary School, our Mathematics curriculum is designed so that pupils build strong Mathematical foundations that enable them to be confident and successful members of society. We teach them to recognise the power and importance of making mistakes, so they develop resilience and a Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck, 2012).

Our youngest children build a strong sense of number. We believe in the ethos of 'structured learning, embedded play'. The environment makes number and counting inescapable and learning is enriched through songs and stories that contextualise numbers. When children are ready they are introduced to digits that represent numbers. Along with number, we recognise the importance of understanding shape and measure, so pupils are prepared to continue their learning in Year 1 with strong foundations.

Mathematics at Nether Edge is well-planned and precisely sequenced. Knowledge builds incrementally and lessons are sequenced to build on prior knowledge so that pupils become fluent, confident mathematicians who can apply their knowledge of number. Our Mathematics curriculum is supported using Maths – No Problem so that every activity and learning opportunity is maximised. The pedagogy is built on the premise of answering one problem five ways, not five problems one way, to develop children who grapple, and problem solve at every stage of learning, talk and debate about maths and who apply knowledge to create solutions to a wide range of problems with increasing independence. 

The Maths No Problem scheme is an approach to teaching maths developed in Singapore. Problem-solving, fluency and relational understanding are at the heart of the scheme. It uses the Concrete Pictorial Abstract (CPA) approach and allows pupils to spend enough time fully exploring a topic, reinforcing it with practice, before moving onto the next one. All ideas are built on previous knowledge and pupils have ample opportunity to develop relationships between topics.

Maths No Problem typically split lessons into four parts:

1. Anchor Task – the entire class spends time on a question guided by the teacher. The children are encouraged during this time to think of as many possible ways to solve the question.
2. New Learning – the teacher introduces and explains the new learning for the lesson.
3. Guided Practice – children practise new learning in groups, pairs or individually guided by the teacher.
4. Independent Practice – practise on your own. Once children have mastered the concept, they use their reasoning and problem-solving skills to develop their depth of learning.

At Nether Edge, we have refined this lesson structure to include a Remember More task. As well as this, a Maths Blast at the start of the lesson is planned around automaticity and fluency in number. Lessons also have planned checkpoints that are used as assessment for learning before children work independently.

In addition to Maths No Problem, we use Assertive Mentoring Maths for one maths lesson a week. This provides the opportunity to practice essential mathematics skills that ensure good progress in maths. The weekly skills tests inform future planning and intervention.

Find out more at the Maths No Problem website and Assertive Mentoring Maths.

All Mathematics lessons at Nether Edge begin with a Remember More task. This is retrieval practice that is designed to help children commit prior learning to their long-term memory and to give an insight for teachers as to what has been remembered and therefore learnt. 

We want:

• Knowledgeable students who can calculate accurately
• Confident mathematicians who enjoy their subject
• Pupils who can orally explain their thoughts using the correct vocabulary
• Learners who use and apply knowledge secured in their long-term memory

Secure knowledge and instant recall of number facts are fundamental to mathematical success. The ‘Maths Blast’ element of the lesson allows pupils to practise number fact learning and recall. In addition to this, all pupils have access to a number of sophisticated, accessible, highly effective and fun online learning platforms:

• Numbots is all about every child achieving the ‘triple win’ of understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction.
• Times Tables Rock Stars is a dynamic, stimulating, and challenging programme designed to boost pupils’ instant recall of multiplication and division facts and increase their capacity to successfully master more difficult calculations.