Maths

Here at Bolsover Infant and Nursery we believe that we do all we can to help children make progress in Maths. However we also believe there is great potential in children’s home and family life for activity to support children’s mathematics learning. An understanding of ways in which mathematics is used out-of-school can help improve children’s attitudes towards mathematics and to help children understand the value and relevance of mathematics in a variety of contexts. We feel parents and the wider family should be encouraged to explore the mathematics that is involved in family life and activity, and to share this mathematics with children. Children need regular support in order to recognise the mathematics in the world around them, and parents are often the best people to provide this support.

With this in mind we have worked hard to offer parents a range of support and guidance to help them, to help their child. This includes:

- Maths Workshops

-Maths Activity Days

-Maths support and Guidance

-Daily access to an online maths Tutor

-Weekly homework with support and guidance to help their child

All of the above have been successful in creating a positive 'can do' attitude to maths in our school.

Maths models and Imagery and our Maths Policy

As a school we take a joined up approach to the teaching of maths and have a whole school policy called 'Mastery for All' which supports this.

The aims of this policy

Mastery is for all, and the aim of this policy is to ensure all children leave our school with a secure understanding of Number and of the four operations. We want children to be able to confidently use both written and mental calculation strategies in a range of contexts. It aims to ensure consistent strategies, models and images are used across the school to embed and deepen children's learning and understanding of mathematical concepts.

How should this policy be used?

This policy has been designed to support the teaching and planning of mathematics in our school. The policy only details the strategies, and teachers must plan opportunities for pupils to apply these; for example, when solving problems, or where opportunities emerge elsewhere in the curriculum. The examples and illustrations are not exhaustive but provide and overall picture of what the mathematics in our school should look like. This is not a scheme of work and must be used in conjunction with our school maths policy and curriculum documents. To plan staff would be expected to use the school medium term planning, alongside this document, our focus maths plan and the learning ladders from Making Maths Magic.

This policy sets out the progression of strategies and written methods which children will be taught as they develop in their understanding of the four operations, as well as number. Strategies are set out in a Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract (CPA) approach to develop children's deep understanding and mastery of mathematical concepts. Children use concrete objects to help them make sense of the concept or problem; this could be anything from real or plastic fruit, to straws, counters or cubes. This is then developed through the use of images, models and children's own pictorial representations before moving on to the abstract mathematics. Children will travel along this continuum again and again, often revisiting previous stages when a concept is extended. It is also worth noting that if a child has moved on from the concrete to the pictorial, it does not mean that the concrete cannot be used alongside the pictorial. Or if a child is working in the abstract, ‘proving’ something or ‘working out’ could involve use of the concrete or pictorial. As well as identifying what the abstract concept might look like we have also identified how, as a school, we might as the children to make jottings.

Similarly, although the strategies are taught in a progressive sequence, they are designed to equip children with a 'tool box' of skills and strategies that they can apply to solve problems in a range of contexts. So as a new strategy is taught it does not necessarily supersede the previous, but builds on prior learning to enable children to have a variety of tools to select from. As children become increasingly independent, they will be able to and must be encouraged to select those strategies which are most efficient for the task.

The strategies are separated into the 4 operations for ease of reference, as well as number. However, it is intended that addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division will be taught together to ensure that children are making connections and seeing relationships in their mathematics. Therefore, some strategies will be taught simultaneously, for example, counting on (addition) and counting back (subtraction).

Children should be moved through the strategies at a pace appropriate to their age related expectations as defined in the EYFS and NC. Effective teaching of the strategies rely on increasing levels of number sense, fluency and ability to reason mathematically. Children must be supported to gain depth of understanding within the strategy through the CPA approach and not learn strategies as a procedure.

Policy outlines for each theme:

Below are some of the documents the teachers use in school to direct the learning for each year group.

Maths Workshop

Coming soon

Making Maths Memorable Bag

Making Maths memorable is a bag of resources we have designed for children's use at home, with parents, to aid with homework, learning, remote learning and blended learning. The bag is full of manipulatives, ideas and information to help young children develop their maths concepts.

What are maths manipulatives?

Maths manipulatives are useful for teachers and students to use during maths lessons, activities, and games. Maths manipulatives are small objects that help with teaching maths. They provide a hands-on way in which to explore and learn. They allow children to develop models and images in their heads, they enable them to visualise maths. This visualisation is important in developing understanding.

Maths Curriculum focus (Year and Term);

The documents in this section outline the focus of each year group in each term. There are also suggestions of activities you can do with your child at home.