MATHS

The Numeracy/Mathematics curriculum at Villa Real is ambitious, sequenced and mapped from EYFS to Key Stage 5. This curriculum is entwined with each Key Stage goal across the school.

AIMS

The overarching aim for Mathematics at Villa Real School is to promote high standards of numeracy by equipping pupils with the very best knowledge and understanding so they can make sense of the world by developing their ability to calculate, to reason and to solve problems. It enables pupils/students to understand and appreciate relationships and pattern in both number and space and in their everyday lives.

Our ambitious Mathematics curriculum is progressive and sequenced, building on prior knowledge whilst learners revisit and recall prior vocabulary, skills and understanding. Component knowledge is built on so composite knowledge is acquired. Mathematical vocabulary is taught, revisited and memorised.

Numeracy or Mathematics lessons aim to encourage all learners from EYFS to Key Stage 5 to develop maths skills so they can:

Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils/students develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall automatically and apply knowledge accurately
Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions

These skills are integral to the development of our learners Mathematics or Numeracy however also factor heavily across all areas of the whole school curriculum.

We aim to develop the learners’ love of Mathematics/Numeracy by creating engaging fun experiences, which build self-confidence and independence.

CONTENT

Our ambitious curriculum begins in EYFS where pupils follow the Villa Real Early Years Framework. Numeracy is taught in Key Stage One and until the end of Key Stage 2 and then Mathematics in Key Stages 3,4 and 5. The curriculum is taught through the different mathematical strands. These are:

Number – place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions
Geometry – 2D and 3D shape, position and direction
Measure – length, mass, volume, capacity, temperature and time
Statistics and Probability – data handing (graphs, charts and tables) and probability

Early maths skills are stringently and carefully taught throughout the school, not depending on age, but depending on the development of the learner.

Every class will have Numeracy/Maths every day. Class managers create plans to ensure that opportunities are engaging and developmental for all learners, ensuring individual pupils/students’ needs are met, keeping in mind the end of Key Stage goals set by the school and including any links appropriate with other subject areas.

Sessions are delivered by various members of staff who will have the relevant subject knowledge to support the learners on their learning journey.

All classes follow the White Rose Scheme of Work or Villa Real Sensory Maths Schemes of Work depending on which pathway they are on. These robust and ambitious curriculums are based on the National Curriculum and New Early Years Framework which have been adapted in a bespoke and individualised way. Planning extends beyond these to meet the needs of our pupils/students.

Pathway 1 – pupils follow the VR EYFS Framework based on the EYFS Statutory Framework
Pathway 2 – pupils/students follow the VR Mathematics Sensory Scheme of Work based on the National Curriculum, delivered in a multi-sensory way
Pathway 3 – Pupils/students follow the White Rose Scheme of Work. In Key Stage 1 and 2 the pupils work towards the pre-Key Stage standards and Nationals Curriculum SAT’s. In Key Stages 3,4 and 5 students work towards AQA Entry Level Mathematics. Students who are ready sit AQA Entry Level 1/2/3 exams from year 10 in the summer term. For those pupils who are ready, preparation work for GCSE Mathematics will be delivered.

Classes follow the school overview to ensure coverage and use different strategies to support their learners. Numicon is used throughout the school to develop the pupils/students understanding of number and place value. All classes will include a number/counting activity daily and develop skills in recall and the comprehension of key vocabulary. The key vocabulary for each area and level of learning is set out the in National Curriculum, the school’s Calculation Policy and Schemes of Work.

PEDAGOGY

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject (National Curriculum 2011)

The teaching of mathematics is undertaken throughout all phases of the school both in times specifically allocated to the subject and across the whole of the curriculum. Mathematics lessons and maths encountered across the curriculum offer our pupils/students opportunities to:

Build on their awareness of events and actions and recognise changes in pattern, quantity and space that occur in their lives, both the immediate environment and in the wider world
Use their developing awareness to anticipate and predict change
Use their awareness and developing understanding of pattern, space, shape and number, to develop problem-solving skills that contribute to making choices, taking decisions and gaining control over their immediate environment
Extend mathematical skills, experiences and understanding which enable them to visualise, compare and estimate. For a few pupils/students this may be achieved in abstract as well as concrete contexts
Begin to think about the strategies they use and explain them to others
Develop a powerful set of thinking tools to help them increase their knowledge and understanding of the world and, during the school years, to learn effectively in different subjects across the curriculum

To teach effectively, staff need to reflect upon their practice and understand why they do what they do and in what way. A key element of pedagogy in Numeracy/Mathematics is knowledge and this includes knowledge of the curriculum, of pupils, of factors affecting teaching and learning, of how to teach the curriculum and of one’s own teaching skills. Staff’s knowledge influences their decision making and influences the way they organise their teaching and their classroom. The way in which staff act affects the way in which their pupils/students learn and their pupils/students perceptions of them. EHCP targets, REAL objectives and therapies must be central to the curriculum and in the way the subject is taught.

The curriculum is mapped via a progression model to develop knowledge and the application of this knowledge. In rare cases, some complex pupils including those with degenerative conditions, may have individual planning which aims to sustain.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment at Villa Real is continuous and of the whole REAL curriculum. Assessment takes place throughout and after learning to ensure progress for all. Assessment starts with each learner’s unique starting point. The assessment schedule focuses on moving our pupils/students forwards onto the next stage of their learning and moving between key stages and pathways; and for life beyond school. Assessment is based on EHCP and REAL objectives.

Pupils in EYFS are assessed in line with Development Matters 2021 and Entry level exams are assessed by AQA.

Progress of all pupils/students learning is recorded and monitored using B Squared on either EYFS, Engagement or Progression Steps and are judged on individual targets set.

Every class uses ongoing assessment to identify learners who fall behind. Swift intervention and support is given immediately.

Where appropriate pupils/students access National assessments such as the Multiplication Tables check at Year 4, Reception Baseline and SAT’s exams. Pupils /students who are working below the standard of the National Curriculum assessments and no engaged in subject specific study are assessed using the Engagement Model. At Villa Real we use this across all key stages to assess individual progress of these pupils/students.

When planning, teachers and class managers ensure there are opportunities for the development of exploration, realisation, anticipation, persistence and initiation within Numeracy/Mathematics lessons for these learners.

EVALUATION

The Maths Coordinator quality assures all areas of Mathematics in line with the whole school Quality Assurance approach. They monitor planning, ensure assessment is appropriate, take part in regular learning walks and work scrutinies, and gives feedback to class teachers and managers. They meet with the Maths Governor throughout the year and review work regularly.

The Coordinator meets with other Mathematics leads across the county to stay up to date with any curriculum changes and also to moderate work together. All EYFS, year 2 and year 6 numeracy work is moderated at county meetings. This moderation and sharing of good practice is crucial to the development of Mathematics/Numeracy at Villa Real.