At Brize Norton we are embedding our Mastery approach to maths and we use WhiteRose as a foundation to our approach. In the lower school, we teach maths discretely in year groups; in the upper school, we teach a phased approach within the mixed classes.
One of the most important elements of learning Maths here at Brize that we instil in our children, is to just have a go, and not worry about mistakes – Growth Mindset. This ethic holds us in good stead for all aspects of our Mastery journey. We teach the curriculum by taking precise, small steps in order to install a confident ‘can do/have a go’ attitude, build mathematical resilience, and avoid simply learning 'tricks' without understanding the mathematical concept behind them. Learning takes place using a variety of means, some of which include:
Using different questioning techniques (these can include direct questioning to seek clarification, asking for reasoning and evidence, challenging or testing for greater depth, and exploring alternative views..)
A variation of representations, stimulus, inputs, tasks and learning strategies to broaden experiences.
Opportunities for children to ‘prove’ or ‘convince’ others of their methods and answers.
Providing key language, STEM sentences and word banks to enable the children to explain their mathematical thinking.
Opportunities to make connections between different mathematical concepts and use them alongside one another.
Learning number facts – these underpin the National Curriculum objectives we teach; knowing them creates confidence, developing skills, a positive attitude during challenging tasks and enabling depth of understanding (see below.)
Providing fluency tasks to consolidate and practise skills and concepts, along with challenge questions to broaden the understanding where necessary.
Regular feedback through ‘live’ marking during lessons where we can and by setting time aside in lessons for the children to 'mop up' or correct misconceptions using their polishing pens.
The Content of our Curriculum at Brize Norton:
Early Years Foundation Stage: In their first year at school, children learn about numbers through play, whole-class sessions and small-group work. They learn to recognise and order numbers, counting objects up to 20. By the end of the year, they learn to add and subtract two single-digit numbers and solve problems using doubling, halving and sharing. They also solve problems using size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money.
From Year 1 Mathematics is taught through a range of topics determined by the National Curriculum:
- Number and Place Value - Addition and Subtraction - Multiplication and Division - Fractions, Decimals and Percentages - Measurement - Geometry: Shape - Geometry: Position and Direction (taught up to Year 4 only) - Statistics (taught from Year 2)
These topics are taught more than once over the course of each year, providing the children with opportunities to revisit and consolidate their knowledge, as well as understand the connections between different mathematical concepts. Teachers will use assessments to decide if any objectives need revisiting more frequently. At the bottom of this page, you will find the full list of National Curriculum objectives for each area for each year group.
