Purpose of Study:

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected subject that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to provide children with skills for everyday life; it is fundamental to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for children to be successful in understanding their own finances 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. As a school, we provide a Maths curriculum which enables  all children to become fluent in the fundamentals of maths, to be challenged to reason about maths and resilient when solving problems.

Aims:

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 non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.

The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.

Intent:

Rooted in the National Curriculum and shaped by our school values—Respect, Nurture, Resilience, Challenge and Safety—we strive to foster a lifelong love of numeracy. At Grange Junior School, Maths is taught following a clear progression across the key stage adhering to the National Curriculum and Hampshire Planning Model. Maths links are made to other curriculum areas where possible to ensure that all children, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding) see that maths is an integral part of the world around them. We aim to develop fluency, skills, knowledge and understanding in the key domains of fractions, decimals and percentages, measures, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We aim for children to master understanding in these areas through the use of concrete, pictoral and abstract methods and in turn this supports their ability to reason in a mathematical way. Problem solving is used to develop deep understanding of mathematical concepts and improves fluency, reasoning and reading skills, through a coherent learning journey. There is an emphasis on using visual images when problem solving to help express and explain strategies and understanding. Our Maths curriculum is designed to re-visit domains regularly and this alongside routine teaching of the key facts, represented in different ways and contexts, improves children’s fluency.

Implementation:

Long and medium term planning is taken from the National Curriculum and supported by the Hampshire Planning Model which is designed to revisit different mathematics domains repeatedly throughout the year, thus flexing the working memory part of the mathematics brain. Teachers naturally adapt their daily mathematics lessons to fit the needs of their pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding). The curriculum is supplemented by a range of resources including White Rose Mathematics, The NCETM mastery document, I See Maths, Maths Whizz and Times Tables Rockstars.

Pupils will use concrete, pictorial and abstract methods to reason and develop skills in a mathematical way underpinned by a coherent calculation policy. There is regular direct teaching and monitoring of the acquisition of key facts such as times tables and division facts, number bond complements and the relationship of measures (eg that 10mm = 1cm). The development of problem solving and reasoning with visual images, bar models and a varied approach to problem solving (when one problem is taken and varied a number of ways, usually keeping the structure the same) has had a big impact on pupil’s understanding of mathematical concepts and has allowed them to reason in a number of different ways. Children are supported through carefully adapted scaffolds to enable them to fill learning gaps and become secure in age related expectations. The planned learning journey allows for a number of mastery non-routine problems on the same area to be explored following such problem solving and reasoning, and this allows for learning to be deepened. A focus on reading and understanding mathematical vocabulary is vital in this process of learning. 

In addition to the daily maths lessons, Quick Maths sessions offer an opportunity for children to further develop their fluency in the Key Number Facts for each year group. These facts include number bonds, times table recall, number and place value, measure, fractions and fluency in manipulating the four operations. Children are able to practice and recall these key facts regularly to improve ease of recall which will free up their working memory to be able to tackle more challenging problems.

Impact:

Through carefully structured CPD, staff are confident in delivering a mathematics curriculum which ensures that all pupils especially disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being (though carefully planned support and scaffolding) develop a deep and lasting understanding of mathematical concepts, enabling them to reason, problem-solve, and apply their knowledge with confidence. The structured approach, underpinned by the Hampshire Planning Model and the National Curriculum, ensures that key mathematical domains are revisited throughout the year, to enable a flexible maths brain  that can make links across domains. strengthening pupils’ working memory and fluency. Teachers adapt planning to suit the needs of their own class and year group. Gaps in learning are identified through AFL and addressed at the point of learning or in an additional intervention following the lesson. Use of scaffolded tasks enable all children to make good progress within and across a sequence of lessons. SEND children are challenged with appropriately pitched learning that fills specific gaps identified form their diagnostic assessments and other teacher assessments.

As a result of this approach, pupils effectively use concrete, pictorial, and abstract methods to develop their mathematical reasoning. The consistent use of resources such as White Rose Mathematics, the NCETM mastery materials, and Maths Whizz supports a coherent and progressive learning journey. Through direct teaching and regular monitoring, children develop secure knowledge of fundamental mathematical facts, including times tables, number bonds, and measurement relationships. This fluency allows them to engage confidently with complex problem-solving tasks.

The emphasis on reasoning skills, visual representations, and varied non-routine problem-solving approaches has had a significant impact on pupils’ ability to think flexibly and articulate their mathematical understanding. Scaffolds and targeted interventions ensure that all pupils, regardless of starting points, are supported in closing learning gaps and achieving age-related expectations.

Regular Quick Maths sessions further enhance fluency, reinforcing key number facts and arithmetic skills. This daily practice ensures that pupils develop automaticity in recall, freeing up cognitive resources for higher-order mathematical thinking. As a result, children leave each year group with a secure foundation in mathematics, well-prepared for future learning and real-world applications.