"Maths gives us hope that every problem has a solution".

Maths Intent

It is our aim at Swimbridge Primary School that every child has a high quality maths education where they gain deep relational understanding, make rich connections and recognise the importance of maths to everyday life. With all staff promoting ‘growth mindset’ thinking; that everyone can do maths,  all children will be challenged, scaffolded and encouraged to excel using the ‘connective model’ enabling them to experience hands-on learning when discovering mathematical concepts and allowing them to have clear models, vocabulary and images to aid their understanding.   It is our aim to support the children in becoming happy and resilient mathematicians who relish the challenge of maths and become independent, reflective thinkers, whose skills not only liberate them in maths but give them a  powerful set of skills, to equip them for secondary school and life.

Maths Implementation

As a school we follow the White Rose Scheme which is influenced, inspired and informed by the work of leading maths researchers and practitioners across the world. At Swimbridge, we strongly believe in the White Rose Mantra - EVERYONE CAN DO MATHS: EVERYONE CAN! 

Following White Rose guidance ensures there is progression across the school within each area of mathematics covered, the children’s knowledge and skills built on and extended each year and continually revisited to ensure children are learning more and remembering more. The clear guidance, calculation policies, videos, consistent representations, CPA approach and sentence STEMS supports teachers delivery and maximises progress for all children. 

Times Tables 

Each week a Times Tables focus is practised to give children the opportunity to improve their rapid recall skills with facts up to 12x12. A weekly times table quiz gives the children a chance to demonstrate their progress with this key learning. All children also have access to their own personal account of ‘Times Tables Rockstar’ where they can compete against other pupils and classes in school. 

Fluency 

Another part of our Maths lessons is the use of Fluency Games designed by a "Primary Mathematics Teacher Research Group in Camden, London". These fluency games support our children to have a combined conceptual understanding with an ability to recall accurately and rapidly.They concluded that children who are truly fluent don't just know the core facts, they also knew what these unlocked, how to use and apply them and could articulate what they were doing. The games are a bank of non-written contexts which demand all children talked and reasoned numbers whilst supporting the least able. They understood that the least confident mathematicians participated better in:

• short, recognisable tasks

• tasks allowing the chance to talk before answering

• tasks which didn't have one right answer and thus more chance to participate and succeed

At our school, these happen regularly. Some of our favourites are: Bingo, Bango, Bongo, Guess my Set, Would you rather, give me a silly suggestion to the answer to... and Odd one out.

Impact 

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is that children understand the relevance and importance of what they are learning in relation to real world concepts. Children know that maths is a vital life skill that they will rely on in many areas of their daily life. Children have a positive view of maths due to learning in an environment where maths is promoted as being an exciting and enjoyable subject in which they can investigate and ask questions; they know that it is reasonable to make mistakes because this can strengthen their learning through the journey to finding an answer. Our feedback and catch up groups support children to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be. 

When you think about it, modern life is just full of maths: Telling the time, looking at timetables, setting the table, preparing food. Bills and activities like decorating and gardening provide children with a steady stream of real life mathematics to think about - if you talk with them and allow them the opportunities to participate.

Children being included in the adult world teaches them that maths isn’t just for the classroom. All this said, mathematics is something that some parents or carers may feel less confident in. To get you started, here are some ways you can include your child in mathematics at home:

• Baking and cooking require measuring with weight, volume and setting temperatures. It includes ratio if you’re making extra large quantities. 

• Gardening requires plenty of measuring and counting to make sure the plants will fit. 

• Lottery Results numbers are put in order and children will enjoy checking for a big win. 

• Card games are full of maths - helping rapid addition and developing logical thinking (probability, estimation) and memory-key attributes for success in mathematics. 

• Board games like Snakes and Ladders or Ludo boost confidence in counting on and using number squares and lines.

• Parents and carers can support their child by helping them learn and recall basic facts like number bonds and times tables. Times tables are vital knowledge. To work with both larger numbers and decimals, shape, measures and data, we need fast fluent recall of all tables.

"A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject".

-National Curriculum