Our Intent
At Musbury Primary School, our intent is firmly aligned to the aims of the national curriculum for mathematics.
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 nonroutine 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. 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 across the curriculum.
The intent of our mathematics curriculum is to provide children with a foundation for understanding number, reasoning, thinking logically and problem solving with resilience so that they are fully prepared for their future learning. It is also our intention that all children, regardless of their starting points, will maximise their academic achievements and leave Musbury Primary School with an appreciation and enthusiasm for maths.
Our Implementation
Carefully planned learning sequences allow children to develop mathematical concepts and skills. Children work through the curriculum in small steps that allow in-depth teaching of mathematical concepts. This reduces cognitive load and allows children to show application of fluency and their deeper understanding through problem solving and reasoning. Teachers use the White Rose Maths scheme to plan learning. Topics and concepts are revisited throughout the year to build on prior learning and prevent gaps from widening.
The Impact
At Musbury, children are given opportunities to showcase their understanding of concepts in whole class problem solving tasks and through assessment. Arithmetic tests, end of block assessment, mini quizzes and times table tests are used in low-pressure, low-stakes sessions. Pupils will undertake these in order to revisit previously learned material and to practise recalling learning stored in long-term memory.
