Mathematics at Water Mill

Mathematics

Intent

Our vision is that Water Mill children will be creative, independent learners, prepared for their future lives. Success in mathematics is critical to this vision.

Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected subject that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. Developing maths fluency is a journey and long-term goal, achieved through investigation, clarification, practice and application over time. At each stage of learning, children at Watermill should be able to demonstrate a deep, conceptual understanding of the concepts and be able to build on this over time.

At Watermill, we aim to ensure that children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall knowledge rapidly and accurately.

There are 3 stages of learning:

Fluency: This can be understood as developing a confident understanding of the basic knowledge in each area. This may be facts, skills or vocabulary connected with the area of maths.
Reasoning: Once the children have become familiar with the new skill, facts or vocabulary, they are then challenged to apply these to different situations in different ways. They deepen their understanding by explaining and clarifying patterns and strategies.
Problem solving: This type of learning can be transferred and applied in different contexts to solve a variety of real-life problems. This will include drawing upon different skills and using these creatively to make sense of different situations.

Deep learning is achieved through the teaching of mathematics using this ‘mastery’ approach. A mathematics concept or skill has been mastered when a child can demonstrate it in multiple ways, using accurate mathematical language to explain their ideas, and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar scenarios.

Implementation

At our school, we ensure that maths lessons are delivered in a way that develops lively, enquiring minds, encouraging pupils to become self-motivated and confident in their abilities. At each stage children are encouraged to discuss and explain their understanding respectfully, using concrete apparatus, pictures and abstract methods to support this. Using a carefully sequenced approach, we ensure that every child can access the learning and develop fluency in skills, which they will continue to build upon and will become an integral part of their future. These skills are taught and developed in the caring and cooperative culture of each classroom, encouraging children to support each other and build confidence in their own abilities.

At Water Mill children will become increasingly confident with number work. Pupils develop their ability to solve a range of problems. Teaching at Water Mill ensures that our pupils have the opportunities to draw upon prior learning and make the links necessary to master mathematical concepts.

Key Concepts

The key concepts that are studied and revisited in maths in each year group are:

Subject	Concept	Explanation
Maths	Number	The first mathematical skill is basic number sense. Number sense is the order and value of numbers. A number is a mathematical object used to count.
	Pattern	A pattern is a repeated design or recurring sequence. This could be an ordered set of numbers, shapes or mathematical objects arranged according to a rule.
	Shape and Space	Shape and space refers to the properties of objects and the consequences of how these objects are positioned. Space is a set with added structure. Shape is the form of an object and how it is laid out in space.
	Measure	Measure is a number that shows the size or amount of something. Usually, the number is in reference to some standard measurement.
	Geometry	Geometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, and relative position of figures and the properties of space.
	Statistics	Statistics is the study of collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation and organisation of data.
	Algebra	Algebra is a branch of mathematics dealing with symbols and the rules for manipulating those symbols.
	Reasoning	Mathematical reasoning is the skill that enables a learner to make use of all other mathematical skills. With mathematical reasoning, mathematics makes sense and can be understood.

Key vocabulary and terms are learnt during each theme and revisited as appropriate in subsequent years.

Impact

Children become fluent in mathematical understanding and reasoning. They have the ability to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, recognising and discussing relationships and generalisations, they are able to justify and support their ideas using mathematical language. They are able to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of simple and multi-step problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps. Children are able to represent their understanding in a variety of ways: using apparatus, pictures as well as numerically, and are able to check the accuracy and integrity of their answers. They will be mathematically fluent and prepared for their learning in KS3 and beyond.

Children at Water Mill will have:

a quick recall of facts and procedures
the flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics
the ability to recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics

For further information about our mathematics curriculum click on the links below.