STIVICHALL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Transcription

1 STIVICHALL PRIMARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS POLICY February 2016 Learning at Stivichall is a passport for life. The only way to learn Mathematics is to do mathematics Paul Halmos, American Mathematician.

2 Introduction This Policy and Guidance reflects the School s values and philosophy in relation to the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. This policy should be read in conjunction with the National Curriculum for Mathematics and the school Teaching and Learning Policy. This document is intended to be used by all teaching staff, school governors and inspection teams. We aim to provide the pupils with a mathematics curriculum which will produce individuals who are literate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. We also aim to produce a stimulating environment and adequate resources so that pupils can develop their mathematical skills to their full potential. We aim to give all our pupils equal access to the whole mathematics curriculum, ensure that all children experience success, develop mathematical thinking, and enable each child to work independently and cooperatively. Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple Dr Seuss, writer. Aims At Stivichall Primary School, mathematics is taught in a way that enables children to make sense of the world around them by understanding relationships, patterns and changes in, quantity, space, shape and measure in everyday life. We aim to: Develop this understanding through a structured, practical and fun curriculum which fosters and celebrates each child s contribution and achievements. Enable our children to be fluent in the fundamentals of maths, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems, so that they develop deep, conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately and therefore achieve mastery of the curriculum for their year group Build on the earliest perceptual and cognitive learning through to problem solving and reasoning in real life situations. Enable our pupils to use their learning to become as independent as possible in their adult lives.

3 Teaching and Learning Pupils are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop and extend their mathematical skills in and across each phase of education. The lesson format that is typically followed includes a mental/oral starter, a main teaching activity and a plenary session. The teaching of mathematics at Stivichall Primary School provides opportunities for: Group work Paired work Individual work Whole class teaching Within mathematics lessons, through careful planning and preparation, pupils engage in: The development of mental strategies Written methods as per the school Routeways Through Calculation documents Practical activities and mathematical games. Investigational work Problem solving Mathematical discussion Consolidation of basic skills and number facts Working with computers as a mathematical tool. At Stivichall Primary School we recognise the importance of establishing a secure foundation in mental calculation and recall of number facts before standard written methods are introduced. We use the appropriate mathematical terminology in our teaching and children are also expected to use it in their verbal and written explanations. Mathematics is used in other curriculum areas wherever possible or appropriate. This helps to expand and consolidate mathematical concepts and using maths in a purposeful way in real contexts helps the children to realise that mathematics is important in the real world. The work that is set is challenging, motivating and encourages the pupils to talk about what they have been learning and the skills they have used to solve problems.

4 Curriculum Content Maths is a core subject in the National Curriculum. Statutory requirements for the teaching and learning of Maths are laid out in the National Curriculum. It is the policy of the school to carry out the curriculum planning to ensure all parts of the New National Curriculum programme of study are taught, with opportunities to use and apply skills, and therefore develop fluency, confidence and depth of understanding, integrated into planning and teaching to help learners achieve mastery of the subject. Early Years The Curriculum for the Foundation stage should underpin all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children s Mathematics with opportunities for all children to develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space by providing a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn, practice and talk about them. The overall aim of the Foundation Stage for Mathematics is that children achieve the Early Learning Goals in Key Stage One. Planning Mathematics is a core subject of the National Curriculum, and we use the National Curriculum 2014 as the basis for our implementation of the Programmes of Study for mathematics. Planning is done in three phases long term planning alongside curriculum overviews, medium term planning using ABBC supporting materials and short term planning that informs daily maths sessions as part of the week s provision. Resources for the Teaching of Mathematics There is a range of resources to support the teaching of mathematics across the school. These include a wide range of books containing suggested teaching activities as well as games, measuring equipment and other practical apparatus. All these items are stored centrally in the key stage maths resource areas. Staff are encouraged to use the resources they need, but to ensure that they are returned to the appropriate place when finished with, so that other classes can make use of them. All classrooms have a number line and a wide range of appropriate small apparatus (e.g. number squares, numeral cards, counters, number lines, diennes/base ten materials and Numicon resources). Within the classroom resources are readily accessible to children who are encouraged to select materials that are suitable to their task. In the early years this selection of resources will need guidance from the class teacher but as pupils progress through the school they should become increasingly independent in their selection. To ensure continuity and assist children in this process of increasing

5 independence, the class maths resource area is presented in the same way in each class across the school (light blue drawers with pictorial and written resource labels). Mathematics is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit Stefan Banach, Polish Mathematician. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development The teaching of Mathematics supports the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in a number of ways: Through what is taught: the pleasures and rhythms of counting history of early beginnings of angle, number, coordinates transformations through themes buildings, carpet design stories about famous Mathematicians encouragement of the wonder and awe of the beauty of Mathematics activities emphasising other cultures eg Bengali numbers, Rangoli patterns making sense of the world around us Through how it is taught: exploration, investigation enjoyment of success problem solving approach seeking systematic order to solve a problem, breaking a task down into more manageable parts critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation and reflection in individual, pair, group, whole class work and the importance of participation in these Through how we work: The teacher as a good role model will: value each contribution insist students listen and respect each other prepare lessons well to meet pupil s needs it they feel valued, they are more likely to value us create the atmosphere and the opportunity for them to ask questions answer their questions praise and encourage build their confidence have high expectations of tolerance, behaviour, work output Inclusion

6 At Stivichall Primary School, we will take into account all children s differences in terms of race, gender, class or ability. We will ensure that we meet the full range of needs of those pupils who are learning English as an additional language, as set out in our EAL policy. The maths teaching will reflect the school s Equal Opportunities and Inclusion policy and in our teaching we ensure equal opportunities for all by planning and teaching a personalised curriculum, taking into account the needs of every child in the class. SEN Maths forms part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education to all children. We provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties, as well as providing appropriate, challenging planned work for those children who are Gifted and Talented. As a Dyslexia Friendly school, we provide an extensive range of resources to support and enhance learning in the classroom. Children use key rings and word mats for useful and/or tricky vocabulary, coloured exercise books and paper, alphabet strips and personalised word books with useful phrases/vocabulary, dictaphones and aide memoirs in classrooms. Children with SEN are taught daily maths lessons which teachers plan so that all pupils can be included and can make progress. All children are encouraged to take part in the lesson when and where possible. Where applicable, children s IEPs incorporate suitable objectives from the National Curriculum for maths and teachers keep these objectives in mind when planning and annotating planned work. Other Curriculum Areas Making clear and recognisable connections between curriculum subjects and areas of learning can deepen children s understanding by providing opportunities to reinforce and enhance learning. The skills that children develop in maths are linked to, planned for, and applied in, every area of our curriculum. We incorporate maths into a wide range of subjects because Numeracy is not just a subject in its own right, it is a skill which can be acquired and applied through many different areas of the curriculum. For example: English lessons can be used to teach mathematical vocabulary and technical terms through non-fiction units Pupils can develop their speaking and listening skills through explanation and presentation of findings and conclusions from their investigations Stories and rhymes can be used to count, order and sequence events; words such as up, under, above, can be used to describe position and direction

7 Science Lessons can incorporate much of the data handling elements of Maths, including reading, interpreting and presenting data PE lessons can incorporate, amongst other elements, position and direction with children giving instructions using correct mathematical vocabulary Map reading in Geography and work with dates and timelines in history are just some of the other examples of ways in which maths can be used and applied to many different areas of the curriculum making the learning both relevant and enjoyable Formative and Summative Assessment Assessment is carried out on a short, medium and long term basis and these assessments are used to inform the continuous cycle of planning, teaching, reviewing and assessment. This Assessment for Learning (AfL) takes place every day as part of the maths lesson and the start of day maths activity. Teachers share Learning Objectives and Success Criteria with the children, making sure they are clear of what is expected of them to successfully achieve the Learning Objective. Teachers then use a range of AfL strategies to check children s understanding and progress such as: use of whiteboards; number fans and a range of higher order, open ended and targeted questioning. They also work closely with other adults in the classroom using their knowledge and experience from working with the children to inform their judgements. Teachers use the information they have gathered to inform future planning and teaching, as well as to adapt lessons as misconceptions arise. On a half termly basis teachers administer Cornerstones Arithmetic assessments to closely monitor progress against key age appropriate skills. At the end of each term, teachers use an arithmetic paper and Papers 2 and 3 Using and Applying assessments from Cornerstones to inform their Teacher Assessments that also encompass what they teacher knows about the child s mathematical abilities from independent tasks in class, from their reasoning and responses in lessons and from the work marked in books. The outcomes from this teacher assessment will be used to update school tracking systems. Moderation of children s work and teacher assessment takes place on a regular basis, ensuring continuity across school and against national standards. Both formative and summative assessment is used to inform planning and target setting for individuals and groups. In the Foundation Stage assessment of children s development in Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems;

8 and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures. observations of the children s self-initiated activity. Assessments are on-going using In both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 we use Assessment for Learning to help inform our short-term planning. These assessments are closely matched to the learning objectives and success criteria and will often be made from day to day observations and interactions with children as we teach them and mark their work. The children are involved in the assessment of their own work, using structured criteria with their teacher to identify gaps and set next steps for learning. We encourage our children to be active in their own learning through regular, taught, peer and self-assessment. We plan for progression and differentiation with high expectations of progress for all our children. Rapid intervention is in place to keep pupils on course and rigorous assessment to check and maintain pupil progress. Statutory Requirements Nationally reported Assessments of maths are the Reception Base Line, End of KS1 and end of KS2 SATs. Further information about these can be found in the school Assessment Policy. Home / School Links The role of parents is very important and our school seeks to support the education partnership between home and school. Parents may become involved in the following ways: Using the Helping your Child at Home maths booklet Workshops in Maths which show the parents how calculations are taught at Stivichall Primary School Contributions in the school newsletter about Maths activities in school Using the school website to access information and support for them helping their children at home Regular work sent home which may require parents to work with or help their children this could take a variety of forms as described in the Home Learning Policy Displays in school which promote the subject and how it is taught Regular opportunities for parents to have discussions with class teacher s about their children s progress Responsibilities Head Teacher and Governing Body

9 support the use of appropriate teaching strategies by allocating resources effectively ensure that the school buildings and premises are best used to support successful teaching and learning monitor teaching strategies in the light of health and safety regulations monitor how effective teaching and learning strategies are in terms of raising pupil attainment ensure that staff development and performance management policies promote the highest quality of teaching and learning in maths Maths Subject Leader ensure the effective implementation of the Statutory National Curriculum for Maths support colleagues in the teaching of Maths, identifying any training needs maintain the availability of high quality resources maintain an overview of current trends and developments within the subject ensure, together with the Head Teacher, a rigorous and effective programme of monitoring and evaluation including planning reviews; learning observations, learning walks, pupil voice, work sampling feedback the outcomes of monitoring and evaluation to individuals and teams as necessary to ensure teaching and learning improves / develops effectively manage any budget designated to Maths Review This policy will be reviewed in the 2016/2017 academic year.