Maths
Curriculum Intent
At St Joseph’s, our intention is to provide all children with full access to a broad and ambitious mathematics curriculum, enabling them to achieve confidence and competence in mathematical fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving. We want all pupils to enjoy Maths and have a growing belief in their abilities.
Our approach aims for pupils to acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. The mathematics curriculum at St Joseph’s is carefully designed to build sequentially in small steps which allow children to make connections to prior learning. Each unit and each year group have defined endpoints that all children are expected to achieve which is in line with the National Curriculum and results in increasing proportions of pupils attaining the age-related-expectation or better whilst making good progress.
The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering maths. For further details on the essence of mathematics teaching for mastery, see this document from the NCETM.
Curriculum Implementation
The Five Big Ideas underpin teaching for mastery in our school.
Our lesson planning begins with what we want our pupils to think and notice, rather than what we want them to do.
We base our lessons on a maths mastery scheme called “Maths – No Problem!“ We researched and trialled various approaches before choosing this system. We like it because it is child-centred and fun to teach, as well as having been assessed by the DfE as a high-quality textbook to support teaching for mastery. Importantly, we find it to be a very inclusive approach where all children achieve.
We embed mathematical thinking through our engaging wider curriculum subjects to ensure concepts and procedures can be applied to real-life situations.
Curriculum Impact
- Children are enthusiastic about learning and can apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to a range of problems, including those in a real-life context.
- Teachers have high standards of the teaching of the mathematics curriculum: this is evident in books, working walls and in lessons.
- Mathematical language is used consistently and is explicitly taught throughout the structure of Maths lessons.
- Teachers assess regularly and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent pupils falling behind.
