Mathematics

Intent

At Manor Park Primary we believe that understanding mathematics is a key life skill which helps us make sense of our world, providing a precise means of communication, using numbers, symbols and shapes.  It is a powerful universal language, used to explain, predict and represent events and tackle problems in everyday life.

Maths at Manor Park Primary Academy aims to provide an ambitious curriculum that will enable our children to become fluent, independent and confident mathematicians. We recognise and embrace that mathematics is an important and essential part of everyday life and therefore intend to teach our children the skills needed to succeed in a variety of scenarios, both in the classroom and beyond.

Manor Park Primary Academy adapts and personalises the Power Maths Scheme of Learning to ensure the effective delivery of the maths curriculum. We provide children with a high-quality education through a mastery approach, to ensure children have not only a deep understanding, but are confident mathematicians.

We will deliver a curriculum that: 

• Allows children to be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics.

• Teaches children to reason mathematically

• Allows children to solve problems by applying their mathematics.

• Is progressive - the children learn new skills which build year on year through our school.

• Allows children to use, and choose from, a wide range of manipulatives to assist learning.

• Uses dual coding to support the learning of new concepts. 

• Inspires learning through a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach.

• Builds on individual starting points and is aspirational for all children throughout the academy.

• Is inclusive, adaptive and scaffolds learning to enable all children to access learning. 

• Encourages our children to feel confident to make mistakes and learn from them.

• Promotes oracy and mathematical conversations within the classroom so that children are encouraged to verbally reason and explain their answers.

Implementation

From EYFS to Year 6, children are taught Maths using the Power Maths methodology. It has been designed to support and challenge all pupils, and is built on the belief that EVERYONE can learn maths successfully. Children are not taught rote learning, but instead are supported to develop problem solving, thinking and discussion. The teaching, learning and sequencing of the curriculum includes a mastery approach, which ensures continuity and progression across the school.

There are opportunities for children to encounter Maths throughout the EYFS (both inside and outside) – through both planned activities and the self-selection of easily accessible quality maths resources. Whenever possible children’s interests are used to support delivering the mathematics curriculum. 

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), relates the mathematical aspects of the children's work to the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals (ELG), as set out in the EYFS profile document. Mathematical development involves providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills focusing on Number, and Numerical Patterns. 

In Nursery, we follow the Early Years Staff room lesson plans, which match to the White Rose hub. Provision is set out daily to develop mathematical skills alongside teaching activities. Teachers will develop their individual skills through observation and assessment against these areas using their age-related objectives. 

In Reception, we follow the Power Maths scheme where we teach progressional maths daily, through a mastery approach. Teachers will apply concrete activities to complete weekly 1:1, adapting to the needs of the children where needed. Teachers assess each child and will use this to support their planning of next steps, as well as for planning daily activities in the classroom to explore independently.

KS1 and KS2 follow the Power Maths approach. Power maths lessons are progressive and build upon different skills:

Discover – each lesson begins with a problem to solve, often a real-life example, sometimes a puzzle or a game. These are engaging and fun, and designed to get all children thinking.

Share – the class shares their ideas and compares different ways to solve the problem, explaining their reasoning with hands-on resources and drawings to make their ideas clear. Children are able to develop their understanding of the concept with input from the teacher.

Think together – the next part of the lesson is a journey through the concept, digging deeper and deeper so that each child builds on secure foundations while being challenged to apply their understanding in different ways and with increasing independence.

Practice – now children practice individually or in small groups, rehearsing and developing their skills to build fluency, understanding of the concept and confidence.

Reflect – finally, children are prompted to reflect on and record their learning from each session and show how they have grasped the concept explored in the lesson.

Learning is clearly sequenced, building upon prior knowledge and repeated within the year and beyond. Daily maths lessons include fluency, reasoning and problem solving, exposing the children to all elements of critical thinking that they need to develop. Concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations are used to support conceptual understanding and make links across topics. Times tables are taught daily in KS2 to ensure that our children have met the curriculum objectives by the end of Year Four. This learning is supported by subscriptions to Times Tables Rock Stars and Century, which aims to develop recall and fluency of arithmetic skills which are crucial to mathematical learning.

Appropriate technology is used to enhance mathematical learning, in line with the Trust’s Teaching and Learning strategy. Adaptive teaching allows children to access learning at an appropriate level, whilst maths boosters and interventions support children to improve on their fundamental knowledge. Summative assessments take place at the end of each unit and planning is adjusted accordingly. Teachers use precise questioning to test conceptual and procedural knowledge, putting support in place where needed. Children are encouraged to articulate their mathematical reasoning with the precise use of mathematical vocabulary, supported by the strong use of mathematical language by all stakeholders in the school. 

Finally, maths is celebrated and promoted through achievement assemblies, twitter, a trust wide Maths week and competitions such as Wondermaths to develop the enjoyment of maths and to expose the children to different aspects of maths e.g. tangrams and pentominoes. 

Impact

Children at Manor Park Primary Academy will develop and enhance their mathematical understanding, enquiry and problem solving, as well as their communication and explanation skills.

Our maths curriculum creates:

• A positive impact on children’s outcomes at the end of each key stage. Both KS1 and KS2 data is above the national average for the expected standard and greater depth outcomes.   

• Enjoyment of the maths curriculum that inspires and promotes achievement and confidence. Children are happy learners who talk enthusiastically about their learning and how to progress in maths.

• Children who will become fluent in all basic skills and work towards mastery. 

• Children who will have the maths skills to solve problems beyond their classroom environment. They will be able to make connections between maths in the classroom and real life scenarios.

Maths Enrichment

Manor Park Primary Academy fosters a love of learning that extends beyond the classroom in maths. Enrichment opportunities like maths clubs and competition practice sessions allow students to delve deeper into challenging topics, fostering problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Additionally, booster sessions and interventins provide targeted support for students who need extra help mastering key concepts. For a hands-on approach, visiting the local Metro Bank offers practical experience with applying mathematical skills to real-world scenarios, sparking curiosity and building confidence. Through these diverse offerings, Manor Park equips students with the tools and enthusiasm to excel in maths, both within and outside the curriculum.