Maths

At Cravenwood Primary Academy, we want every child to master an understanding and love of Maths. We want them to think like mathematicians, finding new ways to understand the world around them. As primary level educators, it is our priority to ensure children develop firm foundations in their mathematics learning, through a secure understanding of number sense and place value. We want to enable children to: 

• be confident mathematicians who are fluent in the fundamentals of the subject 
• reason mathematically  
• become resilient problem solvers and be able to apply their mathematics

Through the use of a carefully structured mastery approach and ‘Maths No Problem’ resources in years 1-6, we ensure all children receive a high-quality mathematics education:

• Each lesson begins with a short review to strengthen prior learning and promote fluent recall. 
• Children are encouraged to make connections with previous knowledge and look for patterns to embed new learning.  
• New concepts are presented in a logical sequence, initially enacted with “concrete” materials; later, represented by models and then by abstract notation.  
• Children are given the opportunity to explore real life/ everyday problems and are given time to think deeply about the mathematics involved, using mathematical vocabulary to reason, explain and justify their thinking in collaboration with their peers.    
• Emphasis is placed on promoting multiple methods of solving a problem and challenge occurs through depth rather than acceleration.  

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we relate the mathematical aspects of the children's work to the Development Matters statements and the Early Learning Goals (ELG), as set out in the EYFS profile document. Maths content focuses on early development of children’s understanding of numbers up to 20, the language of comparison and ordering and finding and creating patterns. This is delivered through two formal teaching sessions a week; adult-led, small-group follow-up tasks and continuous provision opportunities. 

We measure the impact of our curriculum using the following methods:   

• Daily retrieval tasks 
• ​Weekly and monthly reviews on taught concepts 
• Termly Progress in Understanding Mathematics Assessments (PUMA), a suite of termly standardised maths tests which enable school to track progress, predict future performance and benchmark against national averages   
• End of key stage SAT results 
• Pupil discussions about their learning  

Our problem-based approach to mathematics aims to equip children with the reasoning, pattern-spotting and problem-solving skills they need to thrive in the modern world.