Mathematics at Summerbank

Our Curriculum Intent

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected 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.

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.

At Summerbank, these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. To ensure consistency, planning and resources all teachers will draw on a common set of resources to plan, teach and assess. The White Rose scheme is used as the primary resource. To support effective learning a set of resources which complement this scheme are also utilised (Power Maths; Busy Ant; Classroom Secrets).

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.

We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of Mathematics.

By teaching maths, we aim to ensure pupils:

Fluently and automatically recall number facts
Have a positive attitude towards maths and an awareness of the relevance of maths in the real world
Have confidence in applying mathematical concepts to problem solving and reasoning
Enjoy an active involvement in maths.
Develop a breadth of key mathematical knowledge
Provide children with enjoyable, meaningful and life long experiences and enjoyment for maths
Have the confidence, skills, knowledge and independence to communicate their ideas through their range of mathematical work
Have opportunities to experience a broad and balanced range of mathematic activities and show progression within these.
Are given equal access to the experience of math, regardless of their gender, race or disability.
Describe key characteristics and associated processes in common language, as well as understand and use technical terminology and specialist vocabulary.
Undertake independent work, investigations and enquiries, and have the opportunity to work in groups and discuss work with fellow classmates.
Apply a wide range of mathematical, enquiry-based research activities, including the following: Questioning, predicting and interpreting, Pattern seeking, Practical experiences, Collaborative work, discussions, Problem-solving and reasoning activities
Use a range of resources and equipment to support, deepen and apply mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding