Maths Curriculum
‘Maths- the only place where people can buy 64 watermelons and no one wonders why.’ Anon
As with other curriculum subjects, in maths we spend a good length of time focusing on particular blocks of content. We do not fall into the trap of trying to cover too many concepts at once as this can lead to cognitive overload. We follow the White Rose Maths Hub curriculum for maths, which breaks down the content into smaller steps.
Teaching for Mastery and a Focus on Number
Our maths curriculum supports a mastery approach to teaching and learning. The curriculum overviews have number at their heart. A lot of time is purposely given to reinforcing number in order to build competency. Children who have an excellent grasp of number make better mathematicians. Spending longer on mastering key units will build a child’s confidence and help secure understanding.
The aim is to stay in the key stage and focus on depth rather than move onto content which belongs in a higher year group. This approach provides plenty of opportunities to build reasoning and problem solving elements into the curriculum. For more guidance on teaching for mastery, visit the NCETM website at www.ncetm.org.uk/resources/47230.
The scheme has been designed to give sufficient time for teachers to explore concepts in depth, rather than covering it superficially and then coming back to it several times.
As with other subjects in our curriculum, the maths schemes of work interleave prior content in new concepts, e.g., when pupils look at measurement, they are given lots of practice of the four operations and fractions. This helps them to make links between different units of work and understand them more deeply.
Maths in Reception
The overviews are based on Development Matters and the end of EYFS Early Learning Goals. Teachers can choose to adapt the sequence and focus areas depending on their baseline assessments at the start of the Reception year.