Mathematics at Charter Academy
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 nonroutine
problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series
of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
- Intent
At Charter, our intent is to provide an ambitious and inspirational mathematics curriculum
for our children that allows them to develop into confident, competent and independent
mathematicians. We recognise the significance in developing a love of maths, ensuring
children understand its importance in everyday life and also the power it has to unlock
opportunities in the future. High quality teaching of mathematics, delivered through a
rigorous and sequential curriculum, is prioritised so that all children can achieve their full
potential. - Implementation
- In Early Years, Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop
and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers and calculating
simple addition and subtraction problems. At Charter Academy we use a combination of
White Rose Maths and the NCETM’s Mastering Number Programme to plan whole class
teaching, small group teaching and a range of activities in continuous provision.
Mathematical resources are provided in all areas of the classrooms, indoors and outdoors
to ensure children have ongoing opportunities to access Maths at all times. - Children are taught maths using White Rose Maths as the primary resource through
which long, medium- and short-term planning is based. The curriculum is cumulative;
small steps in learning are taken within a specific block of learning. This provides greater
opportunity for children to develop deeper levels of knowledge and understanding
within each particular strand of the maths curriculum. - Regular fluency sessions are timetabled across Years 1-6 in order to ensure children have
the opportunity to develop automaticity of key mathematical facts and methods thereby
enabling them to rapidly recall declarative knowledge with confidence.
3 - Retrieval practice, coupled with opportunities to consolidate and revisit previously
learned material, is central to our maths curriculum. This is achieved through Flashback
4s, low-stakes weekly arithmetic quizzes and the use of online learning platforms which
provide opportunities to practise and consolidate previous learning. - As a Voice 21 school, children are encouraged to use subject specific vocabulary and to
engage in high quality mathematical talk wherever possible. - Both formative and summative assessment methods are used to inform planning and
lesson delivery. Formative assessment methods, such as questioning and the
implementation of the feedback policy, are used to inform day-to-day planning and
teaching. Summative assessments, in the form of NFER tests or SATs papers, provide
teachers with detailed data to track children’s progress across the year and put
appropriate support in place where necessary. - Children are taught in single age classes throughout Years 1 to 6 for maths
- Impact
Challenge: Pupils feel challenged, deepen their understanding of a topic and actively seek
opportunities to develop their understanding. They strive for the highest possible standards
and expect the best from themselves. They are reflective, resilient and resourceful when
faced with a challenge.
Ownership: Children are not afraid to make mistakes and are comfortable taking risks. They
respond appropriately to feedback and take the initiative to make appropriate adjustments
to their work. Children are able to articulate how routines, structures and various teaching
strategies positively impact on their learning.
Dialogue: Children can articulate what they are learning and how this builds on prior
knowledge. They are able to articulate themselves precisely using subject specific vocabulary,
sentence stems and sentence starters. Children’s ability to reason mathematically is clearly
evident as they are proficient in describing, explaining, convincing, justifying and proving
their mathematical thinking. They are curious, ask thoughtful questions and speak positively
about their learning in maths.
Engagement: Children are enthusiastic, actively involved and stimulated by the learning
experiences provided to them by the teacher. They can work independently and take
responsibility for their own learning. They know how to get ‘unstuck’ and as a result remain
engaged in their learning.
Ultimately, our intended impact is for children to become ambitious, confident learners who
have developed fluency with the necessary mathematical skills and knowledge for the next
stage of their learning. We aim for all children to have high aspirations and reach their full
potential in maths.