Maths
At Elvetham Heath Primary School we strive to inspire pupils with a love of mathematics. We believe mathematics teaches us how to make sense of the world around us and that children should be given practical opportunities to apply their developing knowledge and skills. Enjoyment and understanding are key to a child’s development, as is the solid bank of skills and the confidence to be able to use them.
Character Education is an integral part of the teaching of mathematics at EHPS. Planning, delivery and displays all promote and use the Character Education virtues in a meaningful and purposeful way. Some virtues particularly lend themselves to the teaching of mathematics such as: critical thinking, perseverance, resilience, reasoning and reflection.
We aim to help children to:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent practice. As they progress through the school, problem solving tasks will be increasingly more complex so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
- solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
Teaching and Learning
The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in mathematics lessons to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding. We do this through a daily lesson comprising of whole class and group teaching. Teachers deliver lessons using the Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) approach. This is where the children explore the concept with objects, drawings and then make sense of the abstract eg. 10 – 6 = 4. It is important that all children are exposed to these physical and concrete resources as it cements understanding and develops explanations/reasoning. Varied tasks include both open ended and closed questions which probe and encourage deeper thinking skills. During these lessons, we promote an open discussion, where the children are encouraged to ask, as well as answer mathematical questions and challenge each other’s thinking.
Staff ensure all pupils are provided with a wide range of experiences to use and apply maths across the curriculum. These may include practical data collection and handling, use of measurement in cooking and Design Technology, positional language and measurement in physical education etc. Children are provided with a range of real-life experiences and purposes for learning, making use of our grounds and the local area to enhance mathematical development.
In KS1 children spend 15 minutes daily building their number fluency following the Number Sense Maths programme. The daily fluency focus in KS2 is times tables in preparation for the Y4 multiplication check and to support their learning generally as it is an intrinsic part of their mathematical journey. This can be supported at home by using the TT Rockstars website which is also used in school. As children progress from Key Stage 1 into Key Stage 2, they are encouraged to develop efficient mental strategies before becoming more proficient at written methods.
Homework tasks
Homework tasks are set to reinforce children’s learning in class as well as promote independence. This may encompass an on-line programme (MyMaths) which involves games and tasks centred around the learning in class.
A link to MyMaths is available here: www.mymaths.co.uk
Resources
The children’s learning is supported through the use of a wide range of resources such as number lines, digit cards and a selection of small apparatus. Teachers regularly use games and websites to support children’s learning. When pupils start at Elvetham Heath Primary School, we encourage pupils to wear watches in order to practise reading and telling the time on analogue clocks.
