Children thoroughly enjoy maths at Abberley Parochial VC Primary School. Maths is taught in a variety of ways and we strive to make maths as real as possible using authentic and everyday examples.

Big Maths

Each week, children participate in our Big Maths calculation challenge which is tailored to the individual child's next steps in learning. The calculations are aligned to the National Curriculum for each year group and through our Big Maths we are able to target a pupils' individual need when it comes to calculation and number work. Once a child has demonstrated that they have a secure understanding of all the concepts required to complete a level accurately, they are moved onto the next level. Each week, the children participate in a workshop where they reflect and review any mistakes they have made and have the chance to overcome misconceptions with their peers or an adult to help them achieve this aspect in the next Big Maths session.

Vocabulary

As well as learning skills, we also recognise the importance of continually encouraging the understanding and retention of key mathematical vocabulary. Throughout their time at school, our pupils are exposed to a wide variety of terms and it is essential for them to gain a deeper understanding of these as they progress through the school and onto their secondary education. As each topic unfolds, vocabulary is taught discretely and displayed around the classroom in order to make reference to those key concepts.

Our vocabulary progression document can be found by following this link: Mathematics Vocabulary progression

Arithmetic

In order to reinforce the variety of arithmetic that is taught in school, children from Year 2 onwards take home their maths arithmetic book each week to complete one page for their homework. We follow the Schofield and Sims workbooks for this and the books are targeted precisely at the children's level so that they are independently accessible. Teachers use the information gathered through marking these books to inform their planning in class, so if pupils find a particular concept challenging at home parents may help, but this should be indicated so that we are aware that there are misconceptions in a certain area.

Investigation and reasoning

At least each half-term, pupils take part in a mathematical investigation. These are more open-ended activities which require a logical approach to reaching a conclusion rather than simply finding the right answer. Through these investigations, we seek to instil in pupils the ability to approach a problem methodically and to recognise that maths is not always black and white, but may involve lots of different approaches.

At the end of each term, from Year 2 onwards, the children take a standardised assessment. This tests their ability to calculate and reason in maths. This assessment is used to inform planning for the following term by identifying gaps in a pupil's mathematical understanding, and it also helps us to determine whether the approaches we have used to teaching maths have been effective.

Please follow the links below to find out more about our strategy, our curriculum and calculation progression and how maths is implemented and monitored in our school.