Mathematics

'Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas...' - Albert Einstein 

Intent

At St Francis de Sales, we believe that the language of mathematics is universal and that the skills learned through the subject are vital for pupils’ futures. Our aim is for all children to think mathematically, enabling them to reason, problem-solve and make connections across subjects and real-life contexts. Our curriculum is designed to ensure every child can experience excellence and the awe and wonder that mathematics brings.

Pupils are encouraged to grow as mathematicians — employing efficient methods, solving problems independently, forming conjectures and proving or disproving statements. They come to appreciate the importance of mathematics in society and use their knowledge to make informed decisions.

Our curriculum is research-informed and vocabulary-rich, providing stimulating, well-sequenced experiences that promote deep understanding. Precision in mathematical language is prioritised so that pupils can reason, justify and explain confidently. High aspiration is achieved through fluid, responsive differentiation that challenges all learners. We seek to develop fluency, conceptual understanding and reasoning equally, empowering pupils to be independent, resilient and reflective thinkers who view mistakes as opportunities for growth.

Learning is interleaved and revisited throughout the year to strengthen retention and ensure knowledge becomes long-term understanding rather than short-term performance. A strong focus on the four operations and number fluency gives pupils the secure foundations they need to access higher-level concepts and to thrive in daily life.

Through this approach, pupils leave St Francis de Sales as confident, curious and capable mathematicians — able to apply their skills flexibly, think critically and recognise the value of mathematics in understanding and shaping the world around them.

Planning:

Essential Knowledge: 

Cohesion Strategy: 

Coherence is strengthened through our five essentials: Acquisition & Retention of Knowledge (fluency and recall underpin progress), Enriching Experiences (investigations and outdoor maths in other subjects), Independence (independent work), Oracy (reasoning through talk and explanation) and Understanding (application to new and varied problems and in Maths Across the Curriculum). Our curriculum ensures all pupils develop both competence and confidence in mathematics, fostering a love of learning that endures beyond the classroom.

Implementation

Lessons are characterised by the following:

• Knowledge is revisited through an interleaved approach, whereby topics are revisited on a more frequent basis. This has been proven to enhance the retention rate of knowledge. The move to this approach is to ensure true learning of calculation skills and mental arithmetic.
• Children are required to prove their work, explain reasoning and to solve problems.
• Tasks are differentiated for ability groups, however our  ‘challenge without limits’ approach encourages pupils to push themselves, access higher levels of learning and develop their confidence.
• Formative assessment before and during lessons enables scaffolded support and stretches children to the edge of their learning - allowing pupils to embrace their mistakes and learn from them.
• Teachers make use of worked examples and Success Criteria to model excellent practice.
• Planning takes account of previous learning and that planned for the following year. This is facilitated through the ‘St Francis de Sales Progression Ladder’ and Mathematics Knowledge Organisers.
• Learners are supported with intervention when needed and given targeted support using formative assessment, allowing misconceptions to be addressed as close to the point of learning as possible and our children to thrive, regardless of their prior ability.
• Mathematics is applied across all subjects in the curriculum, providing enriching experiences. This enables Maths skills to be consolidated and enhanced.

Impact

We use a number of ways to measure and assess the impact of our intent and implementation. This helps us refine and adapt our planning further which, in turn, improves the quality of teaching and learning.

Formative Assessment used by Classroom Teachers:

• Assessment is tracked daily via formative assessment that follows our Assessment Policy: individual, group and whole-class targets provide immediate action-points for our pupils. This allows us to follow a dynamic and robust assessment cycle that drives learning forward at all opportunities.
• Teachers provide high-quality questioning in the 'Knowledge Checkback' and throughout every lesson, making use of diagnostic questions to ascertain the level of understanding in the classroom and adapt their teaching as necessary.
• Maths Lead uses QLA from end of KS2 and internal tests to inform whole-school targets and planning.

Summative Assessment used by Classroom Teachers:

• Alongside our end of Key Stage 2 Statutory Assessment Testing, the impact of teaching and learning in Maths is measured and assessed via summative testing (NFER) at the end of each term, allowing us to make a teacher assessment on progress that is backed with evidence and providing an objective measure of progress. We use this data to inform our planning and provide intervention.

Rigorous Monitoring by Maths Coordinator and SLT:

• Monitoring cycles, including lesson observations and drop-ins allow us to ensure this assessment policy is being followed.
• Work reviews (every ten weeks) ensure quality, consistency and a forward-thinking approach to Mathematics.

Feedback from Stakeholders:

• Pupil voice is sought  to gauge enjoyment, knowledge and understanding of the subject and begin to implement changes as necessary.
• Teacher voice is obtained by the Maths Coordinator, alongside professional discourse throughout.
• Parent voice is captured via parent drop-ins in order to gauge an understanding of what measures we can put into place to encourage parental engagement in the subject. 

Impact Presentation:

This presentation shows the standards and progress of pupils from Y3 to Y6 via our identified "Golden Threads" of the Four Operations in Maths & also includes information regarding Maths Across the Curriculum and Statutory Assessments.