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Beanfield Primary School

Maths

“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is about understanding.”

~William Thurston

Maths Intent
Maths at Beanfield looks to develop children to have confidence in Maths and an understanding that they can apply it to the world around them. We look to develop children that are fluent in the fundamentals, can reason mathematically and can solve problems by applying their understanding confidently. As children progress, we intend for them to be able to understand the world of maths, have an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

We teach Maths through a mastery approach which enables children to acquire a deep, long term, secure and adaptable understanding of maths. We follow the White Rose scheme of learning in Years 1-6, supported by Power Maths resources, which together break each key concept into small manageable steps. Reception uses Power Maths exclusively as a scheme to teach maths using a visual, hands on approach. Beanfield’s mastery approach rejects the idea that a large proportion of children ‘just can’t do maths’ and instead, promoting a can do attitude. It is through this approach that we are able to develop deep knowledge of key ideas (e.g times table facts and number bonds) to underpin future learning.

Areas of maths are broken down into small connected steps that gradually unfold the concept. Working with smaller steps means it is easier for children to follow and also misconceptions to be corrected and addressed before moving on. This enables all children to access more and leads to them having the ability to apply the concept to a range of contexts. Our mathematics curriculum is designed to be accessible to all and to maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement – rather than putting a label on what they can achieve.

We know the importance of basic maths recall, such as times tables and arithmetic skills. As a result we teach dedicated arithmetic sessions each day away from regular maths lessons, which enable children to become more fluent with key arithmetic skills. Alongside this we also have daily times table practise, through Times Table Rock Stars, that encourage fluent recall of all times table facts.

Maths Implementation

A typical maths lesson at Beanfield encourages children to become fluent in each small step before moving on to explore reasoning of the step and solve problems with increasing difficulty.

Through the White Rose and Power Maths approach to maths each step is carefully planned out using a variety of representations (pictorial, abstract and concrete) as we realise that all children learn in different ways. It is this variation that enables children to become more successful when making links to different concepts and also being able to adapt to problems seen in a variety of ways. Our mastery approach to maths enables all children to become fluent in maths, whilst being able to reason and problem solve – whatever their ability and gives them a secure and solid foundation for their next stage of education.