This Policy Outlines the Teaching, Organisation and Management of the Mathematics Taught

Harvills Hawthorn

Mathematics Policy

Updated by Kath Salmon

Maths coordinator

September 2017

This policy outlines the teaching, organisation and management of the mathematics taught and learnt at Harvills Hawthorn Primary School.

The school’s policy for mathematics is based on the 2014 Mathematics Curriculum. The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all the teaching staff.

AIMS OF THE SCHOOL

·  To promote a lasting interest, appreciation and enjoyment of mathematics.

·  To enable each pupil to develop, within his/her capabilities, the mathematical skills and understanding required for further study.

·  To foster and develop imagination, intuition, creativity and logical thinking.

·  To make each pupil aware that mathematics provides a powerful means of communication.

·  To provide each pupil with such mathematics as may be needed for his/her study in other subjects.

·  To develop independent learning skills in mathematics.

Role of the Coordinator

·  Ensure teachers are able to navigate the curriculum and help them to plan lessons.

·  Lead by example in the way they teach in their own classroom.

·  Prepare, organise and lead INSET, with the support of the Head Teacher.

·  Work co-operatively with the SENCO.

·  Observe colleagues.

·  Monitor planning and books on a regular basis.

·  Teach demonstration lessons when appropriate.

·  Attend INSET.

·  Inform parents.

·  Discuss regularly, with the Head Teacher and the Maths governor, the progress of maths in the school.

Planning

We plan from the 2014 mathematics curriculum, which divides the curriculum in to 7 units (8 for year 6 / G&T):

·  Number and Place Value

·  Addition and Subtraction

·  Multiplication and Division

·  Fractions, Decimals, Percentages and Ratio

·  Algebra (Year 6 and G&T)

·  Geometry

·  Measure

·  Statistics

The proportion of curriculum time allocated to each area varies from year group to year group, as set out in the curriculum document Within these units, lessons are planned according to the needs of the children as assessed using AWL grids against year group objectives.

Organisation

A typical 45 to 60 minute lesson in Year 2 to 6 will be structured as follows:

¨  Oral work and mental calculation (about 5 to 10 minutes).

This will involve whole-class work to rehearse, recap revise and develop mental and oral skills. Targets will be taken from the Mental Strategies tab of the mathematics spreadsheet.

¨  The main teaching activity (about 30 to 40 minutes).

This will include both teaching input and pupil activities and a balance between whole class, grouped, paired and individual work.

¨  A plenary (about 10 to 15 minutes).

This will involve work with the whole class to sort out misconceptions, identify progress, to summarise key facts and ideas and what to remember, to make links to other work and to discuss next steps.

AT1 Maths

A discrete AT1 (using and applying) lesson is taught once a week, on a Friday, throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. During this lesson, children are given the opportunity to develop their skills of problem solving through collaborative learning and modelling of techniques by adults and peers. The problems / investigation is designed to give a real life context or application to the week’s learning. It is shared with the children at the beginning of the week and tackled at they end, using the skills learned throughout the week.

Arithmetic

An arithmetic lesson is taught once a week in Key Stages 1 and 2. During this session, children will be taught, and allowed to practise, a variety of mental and written strategies for the four operations and calculations involving fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. The skills taught and practised will be planned from the progression maps for mental and written methods and through areas identified for improvement through assessment procedures.

Mental and Oral Strategies

Mental and Oral Strategies are taught and practised during:

·  The mental / oral section of the daily maths lesson

·  Snappy Maths (a 10 minute daily session outside the daily maths lesson)

Skills to be taught and practised in each year group are outlined under the Mental Strategies tab of the Mathematics Curriculum Spreadsheet. Amongst other skills, it is expected that children should know the following times table by the end of the stated year groups:

Year 1 – Counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 10

Year 2 – Recall of x and ÷ facts for 2, 5 and 10 times tables

Year 3 – As year 2 plus 3, 4 and 8

Year 4 – All times tables up to 12 x 12

Years 5 and 6 – consolidation of previous years plus squares, cubes, square roots and multiplication of decimal numbers

Written Methods

Children will be taught series of steps in order to secure understanding of the standard written methods for addition (column method), subtraction (decomposition), multiplication (column method) and division (“bus stop” method). The WLCT calculations policies will be followed to ensure that children have a secure understand of why each method works.

Children should be secure in the written methods by the end of the following years:

Year 3 – addition and subtraction.

Year 4 – multiplication

Year 5 – division

Speech, Language and Communication including Collaborative Learning

Beginning in the Early Years and following throughout the whole school, children are actively encouraged to speak, communicate and listen in all areas of the curriculum. Opportunities are given for school, class, small group and individual discussions, expressions of ideas and presentations. Children will be using collaborative learning strategies as part of their everyday learning in mathematics.

Examples of such strategies are:

·  Snap 2 – paired talk

·  Snowball – group talk

·  Thought shower

·  Listening triangles

·  Envoy

·  Rainbow groups

·  Jigsaw

·  Round Robin

Children will:

·  Listen and respond with constructive comments, questions and answers in a variety of speaking and listening activities, developing wide ranging and suitable vocabulary

·  Listen to and follow instructions

·  Plan and discuss work co-operatively

By the time the children leave us, our aim is for them to have the fluency and confidence to use language to convey information, ideas, comments and personal views in a socially acceptable manner appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Resources

Resources continue to be monitored. Out of date stock continues to be replaced with more suitable and appropriate equipment. The central store has a growing range of resources and each classroom is equipped with a mental/oral starter box and resources that are age and expectation appropriate. In addition, every child in Key Stages 1 and 2 has a maths pack consisting of equipment appropriate to their year group. This pack is kept by the children to be used as a when appropriate.

Cross curricular

To ensure that teachers plan effectively and cover all objectives, a Maths Using and Applying week takes place each term. This supports the themes being carried out in our thematic curriculum and develops the children’s using and applying skills.

Inclusion

Teachers will involve all pupils through carefully planned and differentiated activities. Inclusion recognises the individual needs of SEN children, who will have an IEP to support their learning, gifted children, who will be challenged through extension and expansion work, and also encompasses the needs that arise due to gender and cultural differences. Children who have made limited progress for their ability are also identified via assessment procedures and targeted to ensure that progress is made.

Assessment

Children are assessed against Progress Matters, the Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) or Assessment Without Levels stages (AWL). These are updated and moderated every half term. SATs are also undertaken at the end of the year by years 2 and 6.

·  Foundation stage: FSP levels and Progress Matters

·  Years 1-6: AWL stages

·  Years 2 and 6: SATs at the end of the year.

More able children will be expected to work at greater depth, applying their knowledge to a range of problems and investigations and reasoning about the mathematics they have learned.

The children’s progress is recorded on SIMS, which is then discussed with the Head Teacher and Deputy Head at pupil tracking meetings. This allows teachers to recognise, early on, any children or groups who are at risk of underachievement and to put in place intervention strategies.

Assessment as Learning

As part of the learning process, children will discuss, with their peers and/or with relevant adults, the outcomes of their learning, its merits and the ways in which it can still be improved.

This will be done on a regular basis and will involve:

·  Children’s conversations to help determine whether success criteria have been met.

·  Conversations with teaching staff to help determine whether success criteria have been met.

·  Children’s written (writing comments in each others work books) feedback as a result of the conversations.

·  Peer and self marking of work, to agreed success criteria.

·  Thinking hats, 2 stars and a wish , WWW / EBI and other self / peer assessment strategies.

All of the above will support and augment the school’s formal assessment procedures.

Reporting

Parents will be given opportunities throughout the academic year to discuss their child’s progress in mathematics. At the end of each school year, parents will receive a written report based on assessments carried out each half term. In years 2 and 6, parents will be given information related to pupil performance against Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs).

Monitoring and Review

Monitoring of maths lessons is undertaken according to the School’s Improvement Plan. A maths observation week takes place during the summer term as part of the monitoring cycle. Observations are undertaken in pairs by the mathematics coordinator and another member of the senior management team. Work and book scrutinies take place termly. Planning is monitored formally by the Key Stage coordinators via Google Drive, and regularly by the maths co-coordinator. The coordinator also supports colleagues in teaching maths, keeping up to date in current developments in the subject and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject. The coordinator gives the H.T. an annual summary report, evaluating strengths and weaknesses in the subject and indicating areas for future development. This is reported to the Curriculum Committee of the Governing Body.

The maths policy is to be reviewed annually to take account of the new initiatives, changes in curriculum or developments in technology.