“Mathematics is the language of the universe." Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Mathematics is the music of reason.” James Joseph Sylvester

Intent

Here at Kew Riverside, we are enthusiastic, risk-taking mathematicians. Mathematics is a core subject of the National Curriculum and a tool for everyday life. It teaches children to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, to reason and to problem solve.

At Kew Riverside, all children develop skills, confidence and competence in mathematics. Through a shared ethos of passion and positivity, our children and staff cultivate a love of mathematics and a thirst for knowledge and challenge. Our classroom environments encourage exploration, questioning and mathematical talk as well as opportunities for children to develop and apply their ideas while making connections to the world around them.

By using a ‘Maths Mastery Approach’ and following the White Rose Primary Scheme of Learning, we ensure all pupils develop a deep understanding through small steps and opportunities to learn using concrete (manipulatives), pictorial and abstract (written) representations. All of our pupils are challenged and given opportunities to reason and problem solve, throughout the curriculum. As pupils develop confidence in concepts, they are challenged with rich and sophisticated problems, in order to deepen their understanding. Those who require extra support to prove fluency in a concept are given opportunities to consolidate and refine their understanding before moving on.

Alongside our use of the White Rose Primary Scheme of Learning, we place a particular emphasis on fluency through our use of Mastering Number at Reception & KS1 – in KS2 we use a variety of resources to deliver discrete fluency sessions. This helps ensure all of our learners, whatever their prior attainment, succeed in maths.

At Kew Riverside our aim is to develop:

• a positive attitude towards mathematics and an awareness of the wonders of mathematics
• competence and confidence in mathematical knowledge, concepts and skills
• an ability to solve problems, to reason, to think logically and to work systematically and accurately
• initiative and an ability to work both independently and in cooperation with others
• an ability to communicate mathematics and use mathematical language
• an ability to use and apply mathematics across the curriculum and in real life situations
• an understanding of mathematics through a process of enquiry and experimentation

Children will:

• be set appropriate learning challenges
• given the opportunity to learn in ways that maximise the chances of success
• be supported to tackle the specific barriers to progress they face

National Curriculum Aims (2014)

The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

 • Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

• Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language

• Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

Implementation and Impact 

For more information on the implementation and impact of our maths curriculum please refer to our ‘Maths Policy’.