Aims
At St.Gabriel’s we aim to increase pupil confidence in Mathematics so that they are able to express themselves and their ideas using the language of maths with assurance. We are continually aiming to raise the standards of achievement of all pupils.
The Five Big Ideas of Maths
At St.Gabriel’s, we provide children with a mastery curriculum and believe that all children can achieve well in maths. Since mastery is what we want pupils to acquire, rather than teachers to exhibit, we use the phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ to describe the range of elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering mathematics.
Mastering maths means acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. At any one point in a pupil’s journey through school, achieving mastery is taken to mean acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that has been taught to enable fluency, flexibility and the ability to progress to more advanced material.
To support us in this, we ensure that children move through the ‘Five Big Ideas of Maths’
| Area of Maths | Explanation | Examples found in |
| 1. Representation and structure | Presenting mathematical concepts in a range of ways to ensure a secure understanding. This includes the use of a range of resources and the concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach to mathematical teaching. | Use of CPA approach during topics
Provision of resources to all pupils Examples chosen during activities |
| 2. Mathematical thinking | Giving students the opportunity to discuss and describe their thinking. Ensuring questions chosen support this. | Modelled thinking by teacher during input
Discussion of calculations during lessons Careful resource choices Use of teacher questioning Provision of extension opportunities |
| 3. Fluency | Providing children with the chance to practice mathematical concepts, with the aim of increasing success and efficiency. | Arithmetic sessions
Activities chosen during lessons Guided practice activities Emphasis on key skills – multiplication etc |
| 4. Variation | Careful attention paid to lesson design, with the aim of highlighting features of a concept. | Examples chosen when modelling
Activities/questions chosen during lessons Arithmetic sessions |
| 5. Cohesion | Ensuring lessons and sequences of lessons are planned to allow small steps of learning, with the aim of ‘keep up not catch up’ | Use of long term plan to ensure progression
Linking lessons to arithmetic, knowledge and number sense to aid understanding and efficiency Linking White Rose Maths planning to Ready to Progress document, to ensure children have skills needed. |
Within a teaching sequence, we use:
Teaching Sequence: I Do, We Do, You Do
This is the key approach underpinning lesson planning and structure. Teachers look closely at curriculum content to be covered before planning out small steps of learning.
When delivering these concepts, teachers ensure that there is sufficient modelling (I Do and We Do) of each concept before children complete activities independently (You Do). During modelling phases, teachers model in a range of ways and narrate their thoughts and actions to support student understanding.
When completing work independently, students may be given guided practice activities, to ensure understanding and success – particularly where misconceptions have been identified.
Within daily maths lessons and in arithmetic sessions, teachers provide children with opportunities to review previously taught material to support understanding of new material.
Teaching Sequence: Resources
Where possible, all children have access to resources to support their mathematical thinking, regardless of age or ability. If possible, resources are in reach of the children, so that less confident children are more likely to access them. The aim of the resources is to allow children to move to independent thinking, and so teachers monitor when children are encouraged to move to pictorial/abstract activity on an individual basis.
The Maths Curriculum
EYFS – The EYFS curriculum follows the structure provided by the White Rose Maths hub. However, as with all schemes, teachers base their teaching on the needs of their children and only move on when children are secure with the concepts. Further resources used include ideas based on ‘Numicon Firm Foundations’.
KS1 & Lower KS2 – These classes follow the curriculum provided by White Rose Maths. Again, teachers are encouraged to use other resources as and when needed. – in particular problem solving and reasoning activities.
Upper KS2 – These classes follow the curriculum provided by the White Rose Maths Hub. The aim of these years is to consolidate learning from previous years.
Maths Meetings
All classes have daily maths meetings, in addition to their maths lessons. These are an opportunity for children to practise maths skills and methods to automaticity. We follow the Mastering Number programme which aims to develop children’s fundamental ‘number sense’—a deep, flexible understanding of numbers and their relationships. It focuses on developing fluency, accuracy, and confidence with calculations, particularly for children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 4, and Year 5, by building secure foundations for later mathematical success. We adopt the same rigorous and systematic approach across our maths teaching
The Knowledge
Children in KS1 and KS2 learn key mathematical terms and knowledge to help with fluency. These are recorded in their knowledge books and tested orally at the start of every lesson.
