Maths

‘Good mathematics is not about how many answers you know… It’s about how you behave when you don’t know’

Anonymous

Intent

At Knutton, St Mary’s, we aim to equip children with the Maths knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in a world where we are constantly required to solve mathematical problems.

Maths at Knutton encourages children to explore, discuss and reason about elements of Maths in real life contexts and scenarios.  All children are encouraged and taught to look at the structure of mathematics, making links between the strands and understanding that maths is a transferable skill which is required in all walks of life and work settings.  We aim to develop both procedural and conceptual understanding, along with the knowledge of when and how to utilise these.

Children are encouraged to be brave and resilient, and not to fear being wrong; as this is where the best learning happens.  Alongside this, we have developed a culture where children will challenge both their peers and the adults, backing up their reasoning with valid mathematical understanding.

Aspirations

Pupils develop an understanding of how subjects and specific skills are linked to future jobs.

Here are some of the jobs you could aspire to do in the future as a Mathematician:

    • Chief Test Pilot
    • Automotive Engineer
    • Astronaut
    • Land Surveyor 

For more careers, please visit First Careers.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive and safe, yet challenging environment, where children are encouraged to take risks and are not afraid to make mistakes.  When they do make mistakes, they are encouraged to explore their thinking to evaluate where they went wrong.

Maths at Knutton is taught using a Mastery approach, supported by use of Power Maths as the main scheme.  Children are, as much as possible, kept together, working in mixed ability groups on the same objective as their peers in the same year group.  All children have access to the same activities and problems, with ’differentiation’ being shown by the deepening level of understanding that children show.  Reasoning flows through every lesson, from the opening problem through to the children’s independent activities.

Alongside this, weekly Guided Reasoning sessions allow children to explore increasingly complex problems, scaffolded by adults and their peers.  This allows pupils to develop their comprehension, reasoning and vocabulary.

Click on one of the images below to download the Maths curriculum overview.

Impact

      • Children will achieve age related expectations in Maths at the end of their cohort year.
      • Children will develop a love for Maths.
      • Children will have a deep, holistic understanding of mathematical concepts.
      • Children will be able to make links between mathematical concepts.
      • Children will develop skills that are relevant in a real life context.
      • Children will talk about maths confidently and clearly, using sound mathematical vocabulary.