Maths
National Curriculum England
Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology, and engineering and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education, therefore, provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
National Curriculum England
Maths at Causeway Green Primary School
Our Maths curriculum aims to nurture a love of mathematical creativity through mastering fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. Children will develop the ability to connect mathematical ideas and skills within Maths lessons and the wider curriculum.
Our Maths Lead is Mrs Marie Bastable
We use White Rose Maths - We follow the White Rose Maths scheme as a backbone for structure and progression, but adapt it carefully to suit our children’s needs. Our curriculum develops strong number sense from the earliest stages and builds progressively to deepen pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills. Consistent use of manipulatives and anchor tasks encourages discussion, exploration and mathematical thinking. We recognise the importance of recall and automaticity (the quick, effortless retrieval of key facts and their relationships); therefore, all pupils take part in well-structured, research-informed daily fluency sessions.
Introducing the Concept - New concepts are introduced with a link back to objectives covered previously. Children are given many opportunities to make connections between embedded and new learning. Scaffolds (such as new vocabulary and representations) are modelled and explored on the Maths Working Walls.
Teaching and Learning - Concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) is a highly effective approach to teaching that develops a deep and sustainable understanding of Maths in pupils.
The Concrete Step of CPA - Concrete is the “doing” stage. During this stage, children use concrete objects to model problems. Unlike traditional maths teaching methods, where teachers demonstrate how to solve a problem, the CPA approach brings concepts to life by allowing children to experience and handle physical (concrete) objects. For example, if a problem involves adding pieces of fruit, children can first handle the fruit. From there, they can progress to handling abstract counters or cubes, which represent the fruit.
The Pictorial Step of CPA - Pictorial is the “seeing” stage. Here, visual representations of concrete objects are used to model problems. This stage encourages children to make a mental connection between the physical object they just handled and the abstract pictures, diagrams or models that represent the objects from the problem. Building or drawing a model makes it easier for children to grasp difficult abstract concepts (for example,
fractions). Simply put, it helps our children visualise abstract problems and make them more accessible.
The Abstract step of CPA - The abstract is the “symbolic” stage, where children use abstract symbols to model problems. Children will not progress to this stage until they have demonstrated that they have a solid understanding of the concrete and pictorial stages of the problem. The abstract stage involves the teacher introducing abstract concepts (for example, mathematical symbols). Children are introduced to the concept at a symbolic level, using only numbers, notation, and mathematical symbols (for example, +, –, x, /) to indicate addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. Although CPA is understood as three distinct stages, a skilled teacher will go back and forth between each stage to reinforce concepts.
Impact
Learners who can clearly explain their reasoning and justify their thought processes
Quick recall of facts and procedures
The flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics
The ability to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics
Happy, confident, articulate and autonomous learners with a lifelong passion for learning
A mathematical concept or skill has been mastered when a child can use mathematical language to explain their ideas and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar situations
Recovery Maths Curriculum
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we have used the updated White Rose Maths schemes, which allow us to recap prior learning and teach any of the missed objectives.
The Academic Yearly Overviews (below) show the areas and concepts of Maths taught in each term for each year group.
FREE White Rose 1-Minute Maths App
Let’s encourage our children to use their devices productively! Download the FREE White Rose 1-Minute Maths app on your phone, tablet or iPad. Your child can choose any operation they want to work on. They answer a unique series of questions (so it’s a different set of questions every time). If they’re struggling with a question, a ‘Hint’ button will give a helpful clue by showing the question in a different but familiar way. When the one minute’s up, they’ll see a feedback screen telling them how they’ve done. See the guidance below
A Parent Guide to our Key Stage 2 Times Tables. Please read the information below, which also includes the calculation policy, information about early years and the Primary National Curriculum.