Mathematics

How is Maths taught and what does it look like at Mayfield? (Implementation)

In mathematics we believe children need a great deal of practical experience and discussion to achieve a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts and skills to prepare them for life. We place great emphasis on mental calculation and oral work. 

Children’s skills are developed to allow them to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas and make rich connections, develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems as their knowledge and competence grows and they move through the school.

Fluency

At Mayfield we focus on fluency in maths, it is about developing number sense and being able to use the most appropriate method for the task at hand and to be able to apply a skill to multiple contexts. The National Curriculum states ‘that pupils should become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent practice’. Mathematical fluency is the ability to quickly and accurately recall mathematical facts and concepts.

At Mayfield we practise fluency through:

• Fluent in Five – 3 times a week
• Times Table Teaching – twice a week

Fluent in Five is 3 or 4 or 5 arithmetic questions. Children should be given 5 minutes to try and answer the 3/4 questions and then marked whole class.

It is designed to be done onto whiteboards or printed and completed in books. In the first half-term, there is no expectation for it to be evidenced in books straight away but as the term goes on evidence would appear in books.

Times tables are directly taught twice a week, once completed out loud/whole class using chanting and games etc and then once evidenced in books with a clear title outlining the number bonds, counting, times table/s being focused on.’

Mastering Number

To support pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 we follow the Mastering Number program to develop good number sense.

This project aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention will be given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future.

This programme focuses on the key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1. Participating schools will receive central training (online and face-to-face) and a wealth of pupil-facing resources.

Maths No Problem

At Mayfield we base our Maths lessons on Singapore Maths principles and have adopted ‘Maths No Problem’, it is designed and organised to ensure that children fully master key maths concepts in a visual and practical manner.

A Maths lesson will follow five main stages during a Maths – No Problem!lesson. These components are exploration, structured discussion, practice, journalling and reading.

1. Exploration

The teacher will present the whole class with a problem to explore. We call this the anchor task, it will be the central focus of the whole lesson and is known as the ‘Explore’.

• Structured discussion

Then following Zoltan Dienes’ theory, the structured discussion comes next and is a teacher-led whole class discussion, gathering together some of the answers and methods from the explore.

• Master

The teacher uses an example to set out the methods and explain learning. The aim for the teacher is set out clear methods to use and rectify misconceptions from the ‘Explore’ and ‘Structured Discussion’.

Practice

In the Maths — No Problem! programme there are two types of practice: guided and independent.

• Guided Practice is found in the textbook, where learners work through the questions in pairs or individually,
• Then Independent Practice can be found in the workbook which pupils will work through by themselves.

Both sets of questions have been designed with variation in mind, so learners can develop a deeper understanding of the topic as they work through the exercises. During both types of practice, the teacher will be observing.

Maths Lessons at Mayfield using Maths – No Problem! include:

• Inclusive Activities

Tasks and activities are designed to be accessible for all pupils while still containing challenging components for advanced learners.

• Problem Solving

Maths lessons and activities, based on Richard Skemp’s work, teach problem-solving approaches to encourage higher-level thinking.

• The CPA Approach

Pupils learn new concepts initially using concrete items such as counters, then progress to pictorial representations before finally using abstract symbols, such as the equals sign.

• Variation

Questions and examples are carefully varied by expert authors to encourage pupils to see there is more than one way to solve a problem and avoid mechanical repetition.

We also make regular use of summative assessment in the form of ‘Mayfield All Star Assessments’ which are designed to revisit prior learning and ‘Unit Checks’ which check pupil learning at the end of a block of work.