Maths
Maths Curriculum
Dane Bank Primary School has introduced and is developing a Mastery approach to learning in Mathematics. The mastery of the Maths curriculum is something that we want all pupils to acquire and our aim is to help pupils, over time, acquire mastery of the subject and narrow the gap between the most and least able learners. We believe mastery of maths means a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject.
Whilst we always use the NC Programmes of Study as the basis for our school curriculum, we have adopted the White Rose Maths Mastery Scheme of Work which places number as a priority and a large proportion of time is spent reinforcing number to build competency and supports the idea of developing depth before breadth. The programme of study also provides a focus on reasoning and problem solving becoming embedded elements of the curriculum for all children. The White Rose Maths progression documents have been used to create curriculum ‘road maps’ which demonstrate how pupils’ knowledge and skills are built up from Early Years through Key Stage 2 and where there are opportunities to reinforce and consolidate prior learning. If you would like to see the White Rose schemes of learning, click here. Other resources such as Nrich, NCETM and Numicon are used to supplement the teaching and adapt the programme of study carefully to the children’s needs.
The school’s Calculation Policy details the approach and learning progression in the main operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and also includes examples of how a CPA approach can be used to support pupils’ learning in each area. We believe that all students, when introduced to a key new concept, should have the opportunity to build competency in this topic by taking the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach.
Concrete – students should have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they are doing.
Pictorial – students should then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can then be used to reason and solve problems.
Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid, students should be able to move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
In addition to this, we developed a set of Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFS) in order to help develop children’s fluency in mathematics. We ask them to learn a set of different KIRFS each half term and have structured these ro be progressive and to align with the age related expectations of the National Curriculum. The KIRFS are practiced in class and at home.
Children are encouraged to learn Times Tables from Year 2 – 6. Times Tables Rockstars is used to provide children with an engaging and interactive online resource, that they access both in school and at home, to practise and learn. Weekly rewards are given in assembly every Friday for children who have learnt specific times tables and achieved their bronze, silver, gold or Olympic badge.
