Download Maths policy 2017 - Swalwell Primary School

Swalwell Primary School
Mathematics Policy
January 2017
Purpose of Study
At Swalwell Primary School, Mathematics is a tool for everyday life. It is a whole network of
concepts and relationships which provide a way of viewing and making sense of the world. It
is used to analyse and communicate information and ideas and to tackle a range of practical
tasks and real life problems. It also provides the materials and means for creating new
imaginative worlds to explore.
Aims
Our aims in the teaching of mathematics are:
 to promote enjoyment of learning through practical activity, exploration and discussion;
 to develop confidence and competence with numbers and the number system;
 to develop the ability to solve problems through decision-making and reasoning in a
range of contexts;
 to develop a practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered and
presented;
 to explore features of shape and space, and developing measuring skills in a range of
contexts;
 to help children understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
School policy and the National Curriculum
The National Curriculum for Mathematics 2014 aims to ensure that all pupils:
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become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and
frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils have
conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and
accurately to problems
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 nonroutine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into
a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
The new National Curriculum advocates ‘Mastery Learning.’ Mastery denotes a focus on
achieving a deeper understanding of fewer topics, through problem solving, questioning
and the encouragement of deep thinking.
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum feeds into the National Curriculum and the
revised Primary Framework for mathematics.
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Breadth of Study
Opportunities are offered to children to develop their mathematical knowledge and skills
through tackling a variety of problems and through mathematical activities.
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Activities are balanced between those which are short in duration and those which can
be developed over a longer period of time.
Children are involved in both individual and group work.
Children experience open-ended as well as closed tasks.
Children develop a range of methods of calculating, for example: mental, pencil and
paper, using a calculator.
Children develop skills in using a wide range of mathematical tools through practical
work.
Children are enabled to develop their personal qualities and to have a positive attitude
to mathematics through the experiences offered to them.
Through careful planning and preparation we aim to ensure that throughout the school
children are given opportunities for:
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practical activities and mathematical games
problem solving
individual, group and whole class discussions and activities
open and closed task
a range of methods of calculating eg. mental, pencil and paper and using a calculator.
(We will continue to use calculators in school as they provide valuable opportunities to
handle real life data and look for number patterns.)
working with computers as a mathematical tool
Scheme of Work
The National Curriculum for Mathematics 2014, Development Matters and the Early Learning
Goals (Number, Shape Space & Measure) provide the long term planning for mathematics
taught in the school.
Our school scheme of work is based on the Gateshead Core Curriculum (from the Primary
National Curriculum 2014) adapted for the needs of our pupils. Staff use this to compose
ongoing plans produced on a week by week basis.
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Cross-curricular Issues
It is good practice to make use of cross curricular links to enable children to use their learning
in a real life context. Therefore pupils should be given plenty of opportunities within sessions
to use and apply the mathematical skills and concepts they have learned.
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There are opportunities for developing mathematics out of cross-curricular topic work.
School uses the outdoor environment to provide a focus for teaching mathematics.
Throughout the whole curriculum opportunities exist to extend and promote
mathematics. Teachers seek to take advantage of all opportunities.
Leadership and Management
The subject leader’s role is to empower colleagues to teach maths to a high standard and
support staff in the following ways:
 Leading by example / modelling lessons or styles of teaching
 Monitoring expectations, provision and attainment across the school and providing
feedback to develop practice further in order to raise standards.
 By keeping up to date on current issues; disseminating relevant information and
providing training for staff members (either directly or through other professionals)
 Having a knowledge of the quality of mathematics provision across the school
 Identifying and acting on development needs of staff members
 Providing necessary equipment and maintaining it to a high standard. Resources are
kept both centrally (topic based work) and within the classroom in clearly labelled trays
(for more regular use).
Staffing and Resources
Mathematics is normally taught by a qualified teacher within the classroom and may be
supported by Teaching Assistants (TA) within the class during the maths lesson or at other
times in the day through interventions. The level of TA support is determined by the needs of
the children. All children should receive focused teaching. TA support can be used across the
whole of the maths lessons. Should a teacher not teach a maths lesson (perhaps due to PPA
or professional development opportunities), the class teacher remains responsible for the
effective delivery of the learning outcomes and must ensure sufficient time for the person
covering to become familiar with the planning and expectations for the lesson.
Provision is made for the mathematical development of staff, via CPD and staff training during
staff meetings or training days.
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Teachers’ Planning and Organisation
There a whole school consistent approach to long, medium and short term planning for
mathematics.
 Medium term plans based upon the Gateshead Core Curriculum have been written by
the coordinator
 Where possible plans are drawn up in collaboration with others.
 Plans are contributed to and scrutinised by the coordinator.
 Children are taught in ability and sometimes mixed ability groups for mathematics.
 Planning incorporates opportunities for challenge and questioning of all pupils based
upon Bloom’s Taxonomy.
 Teachers of the EYFS ensure the children learn through a mixture of adult led activities
and child initiated activities both inside and outside of the classroom.
Each class teacher is responsible for the mathematics in their class in consultation with and
with guidance from the mathematics coordinator.
The approach to the teaching of mathematics within the school is based on three key
principles:
 a mathematics lesson every day
 a clear focus on direct, instructional teaching and interactive oral work with the whole
class and group
 an emphasis on mental calculation
Each class organises a daily lesson of between 60 and 90 minutes for mathematics
Lessons are planned using a common planning format (see Appendix 1) and are collected
and monitored by the mathematics coordinator.
Teachers of the Reception class base their teaching on objectives in the Framework for
Reception; this ensures that they are working towards the ‘Early Learning Goals For
Mathematical Development’. Towards the end of Reception teachers aim to draw the
elements of a daily mathematics lesson together so that by the time children move into Year
1 they are familiar with a longer lesson.
Homework
There is consistency in approach/demand between classes and year groups for maths
homework
It is our school policy to provide parents and carers with opportunities to work with their
children at home. These activities may only be brief, but are valuable in promoting children’s
learning in mathematics. Activities are sent home to children in years 1 to 6 on a weekly basis
as part of our home learning challenges. These can take the form of games, activities or quick
written tasks.
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Reasoning
Reasoning is sought to be developed within every lesson. Progression in reasoning is shown
as a spectrum to demonstrate whether children are moving on in their reasoning from novice
to expert. Children are unlikely to move fluidly from one step to the other, rather flow up and
down the spectrum settling on a particular step that best describes their reasoning skills at
any one time.
Step one: Describing – child simply tells what they did
Step two: Explaining – child can offer some reasons for what they did. These may or may
not be correct. The argument may yet not hang together coherently. This is the beginning of
inductive reasoning.
Step three: Convincing – child is confident that their chain of reasoning is right and may use
words such as, ‘I reckon’ or ‘without doubt’. The underlying mathematical argument may or
may not be accurate yet is likely to have more coherence and completeness than the
explaining stage. This is called inductive reasoning.
Step four: Justifying – child can give a correct logical argument that has a complete chain of
reasoning to it and uses words such as ‘because’, ‘therefore’, ‘and so’, ‘that leads to’ ...
Step five: Proving – child has a watertight argument that is mathematically sound, often
based on generalisations and underlying structure. This is also called deductive reasoning.
Another aspect of reasoning is communicating in a succinct, elegant and mathematical way.
Strategies that we use within other subject areas (e.g. English) are helpful in developing this
mathematical communication with children.
In addition to acquiring ‘organisational’ tools such as drawing tables and charts, the
development of visual methods of proof, such as diagrams, may be helpful to explain
reasoning. Particularly at primary level, visual proofs can be very useful as way to express a
reasoned argument.
This aspect of mathematics will help children to deepen and extend their thinking and is
particularly important for higher attainers as they can be encouraged to work on
generalisations and proof, whilst focusing on the same mathematical content.
Mastery
‘Mastery learning’ is a specific approach in which learning is broken down into discrete units
and presented in a logical order. Pupils are required to demonstrate mastery of learning from
each unit before moving onto the next with the assumption that all pupils will achieve this level
of mastery if they are appropriately supported. Some may take longer and need more help,
but all will get there in the end.
Assessment is built into this process, pupils undertake formative assessment that shows what
they have learnt to do well and what they still need to work on and identifies the ‘next steps’ to
enable them to do this. The new national curriculum is premised on this kind of understanding
of mastery, as something which every child can aspire to and every teacher should promote.
It is about deep secure learning for all, with the extension (more things on the same topic) of
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able students rather than acceleration (rapidly moving on to new content).
Mastery of mathematics is not a fixed state but a continuum. At each stage of learning, pupils
should acquire and demonstrate sufficient grasp of the mathematics relevant to their year
group, so that their learning is sustainable over time and can be built upon in subsequent
years, this requires development of depth through looking at concepts in detail using a variety
of representations and contexts and committing key facts to memory.
Mastery of facts, procedures and concepts takes time: time to explore the concept in detail
and time to allow for sufficient practice to develop fluency. To promote this staff plan for
intelligent practice.
Differentiation
Is always incorporated into all mathematics lessons and can be done in various ways:
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Stepped Activities which become more difficult and demanding but cater for the less
able in the early sections.
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Common Tasks which are open ended activities/investigations where differentiation is by
outcome.
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Questioning according to ability when appropriate. Designed to challenge and stimulate.
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Resourcing which provides a variety of resources depending on abilities eg. counters,
cubes, 100 squares, number lines, mirrors.
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Grouping according to ability so that the groups can be given different tasks when
appropriate. Activities are based on the same theme and usually at no more than three
levels.
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VAK. Different styles of teaching and resources provided to cater for different learning
styles.
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Use of Peer Tutors
Inclusion
Swalwell Primary School is committed to the principles of inclusion. We have a caring,
supportive ethos that seeks to value all individuals. Our school promotes equality of
opportunity for all people: pupils, staff, parents, carers and others who use our school.
At Swalwell, we teach mathematics to all children, whatever their ability or individual need.
Through our mathematics teaching, we provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to
make good progress. Every child has an equal right to the maths curriculum in daily maths
lessons.
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Special Educational Needs
There is a commitment to high achievement in mathematics by children regardless of gender,
race, class or disability.
Language used in materials for mathematics is scrutinised, in order to examine whether
children can access tasks.
Children with SEN are taught within the daily mathematics lesson and are encouraged to take
part when and where possible (please see the section on differentiation).
Where applicable children’s IEPs incorporate suitable objectives from the New National
Curriculum for Mathematics or Development Matters and teachers keep these objectives in
mind when planning work. These targets may be worked upon within the lesson as well as on
a 1:1 basis outside the Mathematics lesson.
When additional support staff are available to support groups or individual children they work
collaboratively with the class teacher. A feedback sheet or notebook is completed by the class
teacher and returned by support staff at the end of each lesson.
Maths focused intervention programmes are available in school to help children with gaps in
their learning and mathematical understanding. These are delivered on a 1:1 basis by trained
support staff and overseen by the class teacher.
Within the daily mathematics lesson teachers must not only provide differentiated activities to
support children with special educational needs but also activities that provide appropriate
challenges for children who are high achievers in mathematics. It is vital that all children are
challenged at a level appropriate to their ability.
Equal Opportunities
We incorporate mathematics into a wide range of cross-curricular subjects and seek to take
advantage of multi-cultural aspects of mathematics.
In the daily mathematics lesson we support children with English as an additional language in
a variety of ways.
For example: repeating instructions, speaking clearly, emphasising key words,
using picture cues, playing mathematical games, encouraging children to join in
counting, chanting, finger games, rhymes etc. …….
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Pupils’ Recording of Work
There are occasions when it is both quick and convenient to carry out written
calculations. It is also important to record aspects of mathematical investigations.
Children are taught a variety of methods for recording their work and they are
encouraged and helped to use the most appropriate and convenient method of
recording.
It is school policy that the following is used:
EYFS record informally within the setting. For example:
- on the playground
- on whiteboards
- using jigsaws
- physically ordering numbers
Staff in Foundation use photos to ensure records of each child’s achievements are
maintained.
KS1:
Year 3:
Year 4:
Year 5:
Year 6:
gradually moving to 1cm squares when ready
1 cm squares
1 cm squares – gradual move to 7 mm squares when ready
7 mm squares
7 mm squares
All children are encouraged to work tidily and neatly when recording their work.
When using squares one square should be used for each digit. When involved in
routine practice of calculations the children are encouraged to fold a page in half
creating two columns for answers.
Marking
Marking of children’s work is essential to ensure they make further progress. All work
is marked against success criteria, in line with the school marking policy, and
includes next steps. Work is to be marked once completed before a child starts the
next piece of work in accordance with the school marking policy. Children are
encouraged to self-assess their work and given time to read teachers’ comments
and make corrections.
Work in mathematics can generate a great deal of marking and it is recognised that it
is not always desirable to mark every piece of work. The children themselves can
mark exercises which involve routine practice with support and guidance from the
teacher. Where appropriate children in Years 5 and 6 are encouraged to check
computational exercises with a calculator. This can foster independence in the
children, who can seek help if they are unable to locate and correct their errors.
The quality of marking is crucial. A simple ‘X’ is of little assistance to a child unless
accompanied by an indication of where the error occurred, together with an
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explanation of what went wrong.
Marking should be both diagnostic and summative. It shows children the next steps
in their learning and addresses any misconceptions or mistakes, showing them how
to improve. This may take the form of discussion with the pupil ('VF' put in child's
books, or written exemplars by the teacher to clarify understanding).The school
believes that it is often best done through conversation with the child but
acknowledges that constraints of time do not always allow this (Refer to School
Marking and Feedback Policy).
Assessment and Record Keeping
Teachers make regular assessments of each child’s progress and record these
systematically. A record of each child’s attainment against the key objectives for the
appropriate year group is recorded.
Short term
Children’s class work is assessed frequently through
-regular marking
-analysing errors
-questioning
-discussion
-plenaries
This is used to inform future planning and teaching. Lessons are adapted readily and
short term planning is evaluated and annotated in light of these assessments.
Medium term
Termly assessments are to be carried out across the school using the assessment
materials for each year group. These materials are to be used alongside judgements
from class work to form a teacher assessment for each child. These judgements are
then passed onto the assessment coordinator to be fed into the whole school
tracking system.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The mathematics subject leader monitors and evaluates the teaching of
mathematics. Any observations are undertaken in line with the school improvement
plan. Opportunities for teachers to review the scheme, policy and published
materials are given during staff meetings.
The maths subject leader and Head teacher are released from his/her
classroom/duties in order to work alongside teachers. This time is used to monitor
and evaluate the quality and standards of mathematics throughout the school and
enables the coordinator to support teachers in their own classrooms.
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In addition, continuity and progression across the school is monitored by the maths
subject leader as is the implementation and impact of Assessment for Learning.
Actions identified in the SIP and Maths Action Plan, intended to raise standards, are
also monitored for implementation and, when appropriate, impact.
Opportunities for teachers to review the scheme, policy and published materials are
given on a regular basis during staff meetings.
Reporting to Parents
Reports are completed before the end of the summer term and parents are given
opportunity to discuss their child’s progress on two separate occasions at two
parents’ evenings in the autumn and spring terms. Parents can make an informal
appointment to discuss their child’s progress at any time over the school year.
Parents are encouraged and offered support and guidance to support their children’s
learning of mathematics.
Teachers use the information gathered from their termly assessments to help them
comment on individual children’s progress.
Parental Involvement
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Parents are invited into school twice yearly to look at their children’s work.
When significant changes have been/are made to the mathematics curriculum
parents are invited to a meeting or sent information via the weekly newsletter.
Parents are welcomed into school to work alongside teachers during
mathematic workshops.
Staff Responsibilities
Headteacher
 lead, manage and monitor the development of mathematics in the school
 support the mathematics subject leader in taking mathematics forward
 carry out annual audits, set targets, review the action plan and monitor its
progress
 ensure that arrangements are made to meet the training needs of teachers
and other adults involved
 manage the school’s allocation of resource funding, including leadership time
 ensure parents are informed and involved
Mathematics Subject leader
 Assist the headteacher in carrying out the audit, reviewing and amending of
the action plan
 Prepare, organise and provide school based CPD meetings, workshops and
staff meetings.
 Assist with the monitoring of teaching and planning and the analysis of SATs
results.
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 Preparation, review and implementation of school policy documents and
guidelines taking into account the recommendations of the New National
Curriculum and EYFS.
 Liaison with staff in school – working alongside them giving guidance and
support.
 Introduce, organise and maintain the school’s mathematics resources.
 Take responsibility for own professional development by attending courses
and keeping up-to-date with current developments within mathematics
education.
 Liaison with mathematics subject leaders in other schools through attendance
of local network meetings.
 To provide an example to the school by taking a lead in teaching mathematics
and classroom organisation.
 Maintaining contacts beyond school with numeracy consultants, advisory staff
and other outside agencies.
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Ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils.
SENCO
 Supporting and working co-operatively with the mathematics subject leader to
implement and develop mathematics throughout school
 Organising and providing CPD for staff special needs mathematics issues
 Advising staff how best to support children with varying needs during
mathematics lessons so that they meet the expectations of the yearly
teaching programmes where possible
 Advising staff on the inclusion of mathematical objectives in IEPs for children
with SEN in mathematics.
 Helping to ensure that children who are capable of catching up their peer
group do so as quickly as possible.
 Advising staff on the effective use of teaching assistants and helping support
staff to develop their role.
Class Teachers
 Class teachers are responsible for the planning, teaching and assessment of
the daily mathematics lesson and the organisation of additional adults in the
classroom. They are also responsible for implementing the contents of this
policy within their classroom.
Support Staff
 HLTAs and TAs that work with the children support the teaching of
mathematics under the direction of the class teacher.
The Governing Body
A named member of the governing body is briefed to oversee the teaching and
learning of mathematics.The numeracy governor has the opportunity to observe/be
involved in maths lessons.
They are responsible for reporting to the governing body.
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Staff Development
All staff are encouraged to develop, assess and improve their teaching of
mathematics.
Whenever possible we:
- encourage staff to attend mathematics courses
- make provision for the mathematics subject leaderto work alongside colleagues in
the classroom or shared areas
- provide school based CPD
- involve staff with policy and decision making
- provide the opportunity to learn from colleagues expertise
- encourage parental involvement at home and in school based workshops with their
children
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