Mathematics
We use mathematics every day: from telling the time to handling money to reading timetables and so much more. It is vital to be numerate to participate fully in our community and in our world. Therefore, at Staverton we aim to make sure every child has a rich and meaningful maths education.
Our approach
We want every child at Staverton to enjoy maths and to believe that everybody can succeed in it. We have high expectations of all learners, and we provide challenge and a sense of achievement for everyone.
Children learn in a positive environment where it’s safe to take risks and learn from mistakes, building independence of thought, action and problem solving.
We want them to develop a deep understanding of mathematical skills and knowledge they can use to explore, interpret, predict and explain the world, and we create opportunities to apply maths across the curriculum so it feels meaningful and inspires creative thinking.
Fluency
Children become fluent in the fundamentals of maths through varied and frequent practice, developing a conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
Reasoning
Children explain, justify, question and prove their thinking, exploring patterns, following lines of enquiry, describing relationships and making generalisations. Correct mathematical vocabulary and stem sentences are used in every key stage, giving children the language to talk about maths with confidence.
Problem solving
Children are confident problem solvers, able to apply maths efficiently to a variety of problems and to think logically and systematically.
Maths in the classroom
Our schemes of learning
We use the Maths No Problem scheme for our maths curriculum. It gives children the chance to explore maths and build their skills through a mastery approach, working with concrete, pictorial and abstract ideas and problems.
Lessons follow a clear structure: children explore a problem independently, are taught new skills, practise them through guided learning, and then work independently.
Where possible, classes are taught as single year groups for maths. In year groups where the cohort is larger, children are taught in mixed classes but continue to receive teaching specific to their year group.
Mastering Number at Staverton
Our Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 classes take part in Mastering Number sessions daily. This is a scheme provided by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), which aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention is given to the key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.
Our Foundation Stage pupils and parents also take part in a Parental Engagement project linked to Mastering Number. It gives parents skills and resources to help their children continue their learning at home through games and mini activities.
Times tables
At Staverton we use the Times Tables Challenge to teach times tables. It's introduced in Year 2 (from Term 4), continues throughout Key Stage 2, and is used as an additional intervention in Years 4 and 5.
Overview
Why we do it
How we teach it
Beyond the daily session
Assessing the progress
