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At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we believe that all children can achieve in mathematics. We want every child to develop confidence, curiosity and a positive attitude towards maths, understanding that mathematics is something they can explore, make sense of and enjoy.
We recognise that becoming a successful mathematician is a journey. Children need opportunities to explore, practise, reason, make connections and apply their understanding over time. Our curriculum is designed to develop secure mathematical knowledge alongside the confidence and resilience needed to tackle increasingly challenging problems.
We follow the White Rose Maths scheme of learning across the school, adapting and supplementing it to meet the needs of our children and our mixed-age classes. We also use additional high-quality resources to develop reasoning, problem solving, fluency and mathematical thinking.
White Rose Maths Scheme of Learning
Our mathematics curriculum aims to develop children who:
We use a mastery approach, recognising that children learn mathematics at different rates but that all children should have access to the same ambitious mathematical concepts.
We aim to move children beyond simply knowing a procedure towards a deep and transferable understanding.
From shallow to deep learning
We think about mathematical learning in three stages:
Shallow learning
Knowledge may be temporary or reliant on memorisation and can easily be forgotten.
Deep learning
Children understand the concept, can recall it and use it confidently.
Deepest learning
Children can transfer their understanding, make connections and apply their knowledge in different and unfamiliar contexts.
It is the deep and deepest levels of understanding that we strive to develop through our mathematics curriculum.
Mathematics is taught regularly and systematically, following the progression provided by White Rose Maths.
Lessons provide opportunities for children to develop the three interconnected aspects of mathematical learning:
Fluency
Children develop accuracy, efficiency and flexibility through regular practice and retrieval of key facts and procedures.
Reasoning
Children are encouraged to explain their mathematical thinking, justify their answers, identify patterns and make connections.
Problem Solving
Children apply their knowledge and understanding to solve problems, including problems presented in unfamiliar and real-life contexts.
Every child should have opportunities to develop all three areas. We do not see reasoning and problem solving as activities reserved for children who have already mastered the mathematics; they are integral to learning mathematics.
Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract
We use the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach to help children develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts.
Concrete
Children use practical equipment and manipulatives to explore mathematical ideas. These may include counters, cubes, place-value equipment, number lines, fraction resources and other mathematical apparatus.
Pictorial
Children represent mathematical ideas using pictures, diagrams, models and visual representations. These representations help children to explain their thinking and make connections.
Abstract
Once children have developed a secure understanding, they increasingly work with numbers, symbols and formal mathematical methods.
Children may move between all three representations depending on the mathematical concept and the problem they are solving.
This approach helps children to understand what they are doing, why they are doing it and when they can apply it.
Reasoning and Problem Solving
We place a strong emphasis on developing children’s ability to think mathematically.
Alongside White Rose Maths, teachers use additional resources and activities to provide opportunities for children to:
Children are encouraged to understand that there is often more than one way to approach a mathematical problem and that mistakes can provide valuable opportunities for learning.
We want children to become mathematical thinkers who can persevere when a solution is not immediately obvious.
Language is an important part of mathematics.
Teachers explicitly introduce and model mathematical vocabulary, ensuring that children understand and use the language associated with each concept.
Children are encouraged to:
Being able to explain mathematical thinking clearly is an important indicator of genuine understanding.
We believe that all children can achieve in mathematics.
Our teaching is adapted to meet individual starting points and needs. Children may use different equipment, representations, levels of scaffolding or recording methods, while still engaging with ambitious mathematical concepts.
Where children require additional support, teachers identify misconceptions and gaps quickly and provide targeted support to help secure understanding.
Children who demonstrate secure understanding are challenged to deepen their thinking rather than simply being given more calculations. Challenge may involve:
Our aim is for every child to experience both success and appropriate challenge.
We want children to understand that mathematics is not confined to the maths lesson.
Children are given opportunities to apply their mathematical knowledge across the wider curriculum and in everyday situations. This may include using measurement in Science and PE, interpreting data in Geography, exploring chronology in History or using financial and mathematical skills in real-life contexts.
We also encourage children to recognise mathematics in the world around them and to understand its importance beyond primary school.
Our mathematics curriculum is designed to be inclusive, ambitious and accessible to all children, including children with SEND and those who require additional support.
We recognise that children may experience barriers to mathematical learning for a range of reasons. Teachers use assessment to identify these barriers and adapt teaching through appropriate scaffolding, representations, manipulatives, vocabulary support, repetition and targeted intervention.
The Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract approach is particularly valuable in ensuring that mathematical concepts are accessible before children are expected to work at an abstract level.
We are committed to equality of opportunity in mathematics. All children, regardless of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, or socio-economic background, are encouraged to see themselves as capable mathematicians.
We challenge the idea that some people are simply “good at maths” and others are not. Instead, we promote the message that mathematical understanding develops through teaching, practice, curiosity and perseverance.
By the time children leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want them to:
We consider a mathematical concept to be mastered when a child can demonstrate their understanding in different ways, explain their thinking using appropriate mathematical language, make connections with previous learning and independently apply their knowledge to new and unfamiliar problems.
Ultimately, we want our children to leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School as confident, resilient and curious mathematicians, equipped with the knowledge and skills to use mathematics successfully throughout their education and everyday lives.