At the centre of Broomhill Junior School’s approach to the teaching of mathematics is the belief that all pupils have the potential to succeed. The vast majority of pupils should have access to the same curriculum content. Pupils that grasp concepts more slowly will be supported through scaffolds and guided groups and pupils that grasp concepts quickly, rather than being extended with new learning, will deepen their conceptual understanding by tackling challenging and varied problems. Similarly with calculation strategies, pupils must not simply rote learn procedures but demonstrate their understanding of these procedures through the use of concrete materials and pictorial representations.

The Curriculum

Fundamental to our curriculum and maths teaching are the aims of the national curriculum.

The National Curriculum for Mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, 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, 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 non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions

At Broomhill Junior School we follow the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation framework. It draws together the DFE Ready to Progress guidance with the high-quality professional development and classroom resources provided by the NCETM Primary Mastery PD materials. 

Teaching and Learning

At Broomhill we teach maths using a mastery. This means we expect the majority of pupils to work through the curriculum at broadly the same pace. We teach using the principles for mastery.

Pupils that grasp concepts quickly will need to be challenged with rich problems and puzzles that challenge their thinking, develop their reasoning and deepen their understanding, rather than moving onto new content.

Pupils that take longer to grasp concepts are supported carefully. This may through adult support, guided groups, spending longer using practical apparatus to fully grasp concepts or giving pupils scaffolds that break up skills into smaller steps, completed examples to support or partially completed questions. The use of same day intervention can also be used to ensure no children fall behind.

Curriculum Aims

It is important that lessons enable to children to develop fluency, reasoning and problem solving.

In order for pupils to be successful mathematicians they need to develop fluency in number. We help children to be more fluent in different ways.

Fluency

Daily number fact sessions

Every class will spend 10-15 minutes daily to develop fluency with number facts.

Year 3 will use the Year 3 Mastering Number Embedding the Impact programme to secure addition and subtraction facts to 20. They will then move on to the first term of Mastering Number KS2, embedding unitising, doubles, the 10 times table, 5 times table and the square times tables from Term 5.

 Year 4 -6 will develop fluency in Multiplication facts by working through the Mastering Number Key Stage 2 programme.

Year 4 will be following the Year 4 programme and making use of regular intervention to secure multiplication facts by the end of year 4.

Year 5 and Year 6 will deliver the Year 5 Mastering Number programme, applying facts to ratio, fractions and problem solving.

Retrieval - Starter Slips

Starter slips are used in Years 3 to 5 to retrieve key skills. They are done quickly as a settling activity at the start of a lesson before quickly going over the answers.

It is also important to revisit skills learned in previous year groups.

Developing fluency doesn’t just mean practising skills. In order to be fluent children need to apply skills and understanding in a range of contexts. We ensure there is also an element of challenge to starters, whether that is an open-ended question as part of the starter or a question to think about for quick finishers.

For retrieval in Year 6, children will work through weekly arithmetic tests and will then work collaboratively to mark these, consolidating arithmetic skills. For starters they will work daily on reasoning questions where they can apply their existing factual knowledge to solve a range of problems.

Reasoning

Reasoning should underpin every Maths lesson and not just be something added on for the plenary or as a challenge. It is important to ask pupils to explain their thinking and methods orally and in writing regularly. The NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation builds in reasoning throughout the sequence of learning. It is important to give time to explore this fully with all, rather than just using it as a challenge for quick finishers.

We need to help pupils develop their reasoning skills. We can do this by modelling good reasoning and asking the pupils not just for an answer but to explain how or why.

Vocabulary and Stem Sentences

We support children’s reasoning by developing their oracy in maths by using precise mathematical vocabulary and stem sentences.

Teaching pupils precise Mathematical language has been shown to improve reasoning and progress for all by giving them a shared language to discuss their mathematical learning and thinking. It has particularly been shown to be beneficial for Pupil Premium and EAL children.

Stem sentences are also very effective. They can be introduced using call and response, by asking pupils to whisper them quietly to themselves or to be used as a structure for partner talk. Stem sentences should be included in Smart Notes/Lesson PowerPoints and can be added to displays. The NCETM curriculum prioritisation materials suggest useful stem sentences. Teachers can also create their own.

e.g. If the whole is split into ___ equal parts, each part is ____ of the whole.

Children should also have opportunities to explain their reasoning in writing. It is important that all children get the opportunity to reason and this is not just an activity for quick finishers.

Problem solving

Problem solving should be at the heart of maths teaching. Children need to be able to solve a variety of routine and non-routine problems.

Problem solving should not be just used as the challenge for children who grasp things quickly. All children should have regular opportunities to solve problems, regardless of their ability. Children need to be taught how to approach problems and supported in working through these.

Beware of adding problems as a challenge which don’t require the children to actually problem solve e.g. a set of problems that require written addition after a lesson on written addition.

Maths Mornings

At Broomhill we have a maths morning 3 times a year. This is an opportunity for all children to participate in extended problem solving that is focused upon developing specific problem solving skills.