Mathematics

Maths is essential to everyday life and critical to science, technology and engineering. We aim for our Maths curriculum to provide a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically and give a sense of curiosity and enjoyment about the subject.

The Maths curriculum at Hyde Heath Infant School aims to enable all children to be excited about maths, developing a positive, confident attitude. Our intention is to ensure that all children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, are able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop justification using mathematical language. The only way to learn Mathematics is by doing Mathematics. We do not accept that ‘some children cannot do maths’ or that children should be limited by prior attainment.

We teach the skills to ensure our children are resilient learners who become life-long mathematicians. Our aim is to deliver an inspiring and engaging mathematics curriculum. Our approach supports children to be numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. Children should not be afraid to make mistakes and should fully embrace the fact that mistakes are part of learning. Our Maths curriculum promotes a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject, so that children become fluent in calculations; possess a growing confidence to reason mathematically and hone their problem-solving skills.

Within KS1 we use a variety of resources from ‘Power Maths’, ‘White Rose’ and ‘Nrich’ amongst others. We aim to develop mastery in maths enabling children to acquire a deep understanding of maths concepts, structures and procedures. When children are introduced to a new concept for the first time they are encouraged to physically represent mathematical concepts. Objects and pictures are used to demonstrate and visualise abstract ideas, alongside numbers and symbols. Throughout Hyde Heath Infant School you will see these three methods being used: Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing. Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using these pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems. Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid by using the concrete and pictorial methods the children can move onto an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence. Regular assessments identify children who may need extra support with their learning, they then receive high quality intervention time with a teacher or teaching assistant.

Summative assessment takes place at the end of each unit and children’s progress and attainments are discussed by our team. Formative assessment takes place on a daily basis and teachers adjust planning accordingly to meet the needs of their class. In addition, we place a strong emphasis on the power of questioning: this enables us both to explore topics together as a class as well as verbally develop reasoning skills during our lessons. Children are encouraged to take ownership of their learning through self- and peer- assessment. Leaders monitor the effectiveness of teaching frequently through lesson observations, book scrutiny and pupil discussions.

Calculation Policies

Our calculation policies show how children learn different ways to calculate arithmetic questions and demonstrate how we teach in each year group, supporting children to develop a solid understanding of calculations before they move on to the next step in their learning.