Maths

Maths at Hillstone

Our aim is to equip all pupils with the skills and confidence to solve a range of problems through fluency with numbers and mathematical reasoning.

How it works

Children are encouraged to see the mathematics that surrounds them every day and enjoy developing vital life skills in this subject.
Carefully planned activities encourage children to work mentally, observe patterns, make predictions and discuss relationships. Mathematics skills are also used in other subjects such as science, computing and art.

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Early Years KS1 KS2 Mental Maths Gifted and Talented SEN Learning documents Further documention

Mastering Maths at Hillstone

At Hillstone Primary, we have adopted a mastery approach in order to deliver the three aims of the National Curriculum, fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Underpinning this pedagogy is a belief that all children can achieve in maths. We believe in promoting a sustained and deep understanding by employing a variety of mastery strategies, with teaching for conceptual understanding at the heart of everything we do. We aim to create independent mathematicians who are well equipped to apply their learning to the wider world. Our approach aims to provide all children with full access to the curriculum, enabling them to develop independence, confidence and competence – ‘mastery’ in mathematics in order to be independent mathematicians who are well equipped to apply their learning to the wider world.

The mathematical journey that children undertake at Hillstone Primary 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.

Key features of our curriculum include:
• High expectations for every child
• Greater depth of topics
• Real life number sense and place value
• Application of skills learn to solve problem
• Calculating with confidence– understand why it works
We place emphasis on the cumulative mastery of essential knowledge and skills in mathematics. It embeds a deeper understanding of maths by utilising a concrete, pictorial, abstract approach so that pupils understand what they are doing rather than just learning to repeat routines without grasping what is happening.

Early Years

Maths in EYFS

Maths in the Early Years is evident in daily activities, independent learning and taught sessions. Children are exposed to maths at all times and mathematical vocabulary and cross curricular opportunities are seized upon daily.

How it works

Children use a range of concrete resources to explore maths practically. Children also investigate a problem a day to develop these important skills. Subitising is a crucial skill which we aim to develop in the early years as this key area provides the roots for a child to become a competent and fluent mathematician. We are currently involved in the Mastering Mathematics project with the NCETM and Central Maths Hub which aims to build up children’s subitising skills through a rich variety of activities (including Numberblocks) taught through a program which supports ten minutes of daily practice.

KS1

Maths in KS1

In KS1 we follow Maths No Problem which is a scheme based on the Singapore approach to the teaching of mathematics. All children have a work book, textbook and a Maths Journal to complete maths learning. Lessons start with a problem which the children investigate as a class using concrete equipment. Children are actively involved in this and physically manipulate resources themselves and explore outcomes and investigations. When children have a secure understanding of this they move on to the pictorial stage of the lesson where their learning is presented in different ways.

How it works

This may be through the part part whole model or the bar model but many other pictorial representations for all areas of maths will also be evident in their Journal’s. It is only when a child has fully understood this concept that they move on to the abstract stage and actually write number sentences and show their learning in different ways.

Questioning is used very effectively throughout the lesson to ensure that the children can explain reasons for their answers and therefore show a mastery understanding of the topic

KS2

Maths in KS2

Maths No Problem is also followed in LKS2 where lessons are adapted and personalised to meet the needs of our learners. Children are encouraged to show a range of journaling methods to show a deep understanding of a concept and then apply this new knowledge to a varied of problems.

All children will be challenged, at their level, throughout lessons and effective use of assessment will ensure pupil progress.

How it works

In UKS2 a variety of resources are used to ensure that high quality learning and mastery is taking place. We follow the medium term planning set out by the White Rose Hub but alongside this use resources published by the NCETM such as the mastery assessment materials and the reasoning guidance. Lessons follow a similar structure to years 1 – 4 and start with a problem or investigation which often involves the use of concrete resources. In most lessons, children then demonstrate their learning pictorially before then completing the abstract tasks to develop the skills and show mastery of a concept.
A weekly arithmetic lesson is also taught across the school to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of number and the associated methods.

Mental Maths

Children are encouraged to develop their mental maths skills every day throughout the curriculum. Times tables are explicitly taught giving children the knowledge of what they actually are and how they are formed and also the opportunity to spot patterns and make links.

Target Tables are used to assess children’s fluency in recall and also their problem solving and reasoning skills. Focus Facts help children to break down the times tables into key pieces of knowledge and a deep understanding of inverses enables children to spot patterns and relationships.
Times Table Rock Stars is used not only to engage pupils in their maths learning through individual games and school competitions, but also to track their progress using the testing element and to plan and adapt lessons, and provide personalised targets, as necessary.

Gifted and talented

Gifted and Talented

Gifted and talented children will be challenged further in lessons through questioning and explanations. A ‘Working Deeper’ activity will also be planned for in each lesson to enable pupils to take their learning further forward.

These will not involve bigger numbers or concepts from a year above, but instead will ensure that a child has fully mastered an abstract idea by asking them to explain it in a different way or look at things a little bit differently. Skills in problem solving, reasoning and fluency will be developed even further with ‘Working Deeper’ tasks and will be available for all children to progress onto if they have achieved the objective and main task(s) in the lesson.

SEN

Personalised provision will be provided for children with SEN in maths. This may involve children spending a longer time on a concept or using concrete resources to aid understanding throughout the lesson.

In some cases, children may be working on objectives from previous year groups in line with their Learning Plan and Continuum sheets. Specific interventions may need to be planned for some children in line with the SEN policy.