Our Approach to Teaching Maths 

At Birkwood Primary School, we strive to promote a love for learning across mathematics; we believe that enjoyment is paramount.

We believe that this is promoted by providing a rich and varied curriculum packed with meaningful opportunities for our children to become fluent mathematicians, who can problem solve and reason confidently. To achieve this, we have worked incredibly hard to create a culture of deep understanding, confidence, and competence, providing our children the opportunity to develop a conceptual understanding of maths gradually and sequentially, and be able to apply this.

To support our approach to teaching and learning, to allow our children to know more and remember more, core skills are practised daily through the NCETM Mastering Number Programme (FS2 to Y2), and through ‘Fluent in Five’ Daily Practice (Y3-Y6).

Maths lessons at Birkwood Primary follow the NCETM guidance, from Foundation through to Year 6. This is a carefully designed, logical and systematic sequence to teaching mathematics which is implemented based on the needs of our pupils. It is based on small step learning targets and allows children to build on previous learning and enables them to become natural problem solvers.

We adopt a CPA (Concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach to teaching throughout school (See Mastery Policy). Children are regularly provided with concrete and pictorial resources (where necessary) to support and extend their learning at all levels. Children have access to a wide variety of manipulatives (both physical and online), which support them in mastering key concepts in maths.

Our Vocabulary/ skills progression documents (below) are carefully mapped out to support teaching and learning and are used by staff as working documents. This has been done to ensure that learning is age- related and identifies the knowledge (disciplinary and substantive) our children are to acquire, year-by- year, to meet and exceed curriculum expectations at all levels.

At Birkwood Primary School, we believe that all children can succeed in maths, and we hope to instil in them a life-long love of mathematics.

Mastering Number 

We aim to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 2. Our aim is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention will be given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.

Weekly overviews (by year):

Policies

Maths Long Term Overviews

Skills Progression