Mathematics  at Beech Hill Primary School 

Intent

At Beech Hill , we strive for our children to be successful and proficient Mathematicians, who can solve problems, recall facts fluently and rapidly and reason with confidence, providing intelligent justification for their answers. Our Mastery Maths curriculum aims to provide children with the essential life skills they need to be financially capable, while preparing them to contribute to and lead developments in the fast-changing world of tomorrow. It will allow them to create solutions to a range of problems in many fields of life and develop in them skills such as curiosity, resourcefulness, determination and drive to succeed.

Implementation

Our pupils should be able to organise their knowledge, skills and understanding around the following learning concepts: Numbers; Addition and subtraction; Multiplication and Division; Fractions; Properties of Shapes; Position, Direction and Movement; Measures; Statistics and Algebra.

The above key concepts, underpin learning in each key stage and enables pupils to reinforce and build upon prior learning, make connections and develop subject specific language. We use Power Maths to facilitate the delivery of our Maths curriculum with pre and post learning opportunities to further enhance children's progression in the subject - across the school.

Impact

Through the explicit teaching of the Mathematics skills, both the teachers and the pupils assess learning continuously throughout the lesson. At the end of each Power Maths unit, and whenever possible in lessons, pupils draw on their skills and fluency, to ensure that knowledge is stored in their long-term memory, enabling them to become more efficient in their problem-solving skills, away from the time of teaching. Our assessment system - a combination of end of unit checks, ongoing teacher assessment and NFER tests, helps teachers to make informed judgements about the depth of children's learning, the progress they have made over time and to identify the next steps in their learning.

Maths in EYFS 

Children in Nursery and Reception are taught maths through delivery of the mathematics area of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.  At Beech Hill the teaching of maths in the EYFS involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures. 
 
Children will develop their understanding through planned, purposeful play, both indoors and outdoors and through a mix of adult-led and child initiated activities. 
 
Children are given ample opportunity to develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space through varied activities that allow them to enjoy, explore, practise and talk confidently about mathematics. 
 
Mastering Number is used in the Early Years. We believe that this approach to teaching maths helps our children to see connections between numbers and secures firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children. Numicon is also used to support teaching and is evident within the provision; it is  a multi-sensory way of learning, which means our children learn by seeing and feeling

Mastering Number - Reception Class and KS1 

Mastering number is a project run by the NCETM.

Beech Hill  is taking part in the National for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) project to support the teaching of basic maths skills in our school. This project 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 will be given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.

In Reception, children have a 10 minute Mastering Number session, 4 times a week with an adult, as well as having access to various continuous provision maths activities throughout the week. In KS1, children have a 10-15 Mastering Number session in addition to their Power Maths lesson. 

Over the year, the children will experience using a range of resources and representations, including a small abacus-like piece of equipment called a rekenrek. In these sessions, children use a range of concrete apparatus and pictorial representations. Each child has their own rekenrek to use in the sessions.

The sessions also use the characters and clips from the CBeebies show Numberblocks.