Our Mathematics Subject Leader is Miss Shannon

Intent

 We want the children to see Mathematics as being relevant to their world and applicable to everyday life as well as being something that they will need as they move on through their school life and ultimately to the world of employment. 

It is important that children can explore Maths and present their findings not only in a written form but also visually and verbally; to that end the school will adopt the CPA approach: concrete, pictorial, abstract. This will allow the children to experience the physical aspects of Maths before finding a way to present their findings and understandings in a visual form before relying on the abstract numbers.

 The school has been involved with the NCETM and NNW Maths Hub through the Maths Lead for the school being part of the Mastery Readiness Program. Our approach to planning and delivery of high quality teaching and learning is based around the 5 Big Ideas of Mastery in Mathematics produced by the NCETM. 

Opportunities for Mathematical Thinking allow children to make chains of reasoning connected with the other areas of their mathematics. A focus on Representation and Structure ensures concepts are explored using concrete, pictorial and abstract representations, the children actively look for patterns as well as specialise and generalise whilst problem solving. Coherence is achieved through the planning of small connected steps to link every question and lesson within a topic. Teachers use both procedural and conceptual Variation within their lessons and there remains an emphasis on Fluency with a relentless focus on number and times table facts.

 

Implementation

Teaching and Learning - A ‘Mastery’ Approach

The teaching and learning of mathematics at Great Orton Primary School should include aspects of the following Mastery approach strategies in every lesson and/or over a series of lessons:

‘Concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) is a highly effective approach to teaching that develops a deep and sustainable understanding of maths.’ (Maths - no problem!)

CONCRETE

Concrete is the “doing” stage, using concrete objects to model problems. Instead of the traditional method of mathematics teaching, where a teacher demonstrates how to solve a problem, the CPA approach brings concepts to life by allowing pupils to experience and handle physical objects themselves. Every new abstract concept is learned first with a “concrete” or physical experience. For example, if a problem is about adding up four baskets of fruit, the pupils might first handle actual fruit before progressing to handling counters or cubes which are used to represent the fruit.

PICTORIAL

Pictorial is the “seeing” stage, using representations of the objects to model problems. This stage encourages pupils to make a mental connection between the physical object and abstract levels of understanding by drawing or looking at pictures, circles, diagrams or models which represent the objects in the problem. Building or drawing a model makes it easier for pupils to grasp concepts they traditionally find more difficult, such as fractions, as it helps them visualise the problem and make it more accessible.

ABSTRACT

Abstract is the “symbolic” stage, where pupils are able to use abstract symbols to model problems (Hauser).Only once a child has demonstrated that they have a solid understanding of the “concrete”and “pictorial” representations of the problem, can the teacher introduce the more“abstract” concept, such as mathematical symbols. Pupils are introduced to the concept at asymbolic level, using only numbers, notation, and mathematical symbols, for example +, –, x, ÷ to indicate addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

Impact

Through following our maths curriculum our children will be equipped with the mathematical skills they will need for life. They will be proficient with the four operations and be able to apply their problem solving and reasoning skills to everyday situations e.g. using money, measuring and handling data. Children will feel confident in approaching mathematical problems and be able to use a range of strategies to solve these. Children will demonstrate their skills in a range of ways using the CPA approach and will show mastery in being able to explain their thought processes. Finally, children will have a love of maths and enjoy their maths lessons as it allows them to make connections and access other areas of the curriculum.

This will be evident in the KS1 and KS2 mathematics results and from the multiplication tables check within Year Four. It will also show within the wider curriculum as the children use their skills in other subjects such as science and design technology.

 

A question often asked is, "How can I support my child more with their maths school work?"

Here at Great Orton Primary we are more than happy to chat, help, inform parents of the different ways in which this can be achieved.

The following hyperlink and QR code will redirect you to our Class 1 and Class 2 links pages.

Here you will find Class Links, which all children have login details for.

These include: Doodle Maths, Times Tables Rock Stars, White Rose Maths free resources and many more covering lots of curriculum areas.

https://www.greatorton.cumbria.sch.uk/classes/class-links.html

Mathematics Policies