At Aughton Junior Academy we provide all pupils with a high-quality and inclusive mathematics education, which offers a fundamental foundation for understanding the world, with the ability to solve problems and reason mathematically. Taught sessions are knowledge-rich, sequential and challenging, helping to prepare pupils for everyday life and their future. Children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world developing a natural curiosity about the subject.

We have high expectations of all pupils at Aughton Junior Academy and through quality first teaching, inclusive practise and resourcing we ensure that pupils are able to achieve their full potential. Our aim is that all pupils develop the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately, becoming fluent in mathematics through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems. Pupils develop the ability to break down problems into a series of simpler steps and preserving in seeking solutions. From this, children begin to identify relationships between different mathematical concepts and make generalisations, subsequently developing the ability to justify or proof their understanding using mathematical language.

Pedagogy

Children are taught mathematics daily, covering a broad and balanced mathematical curriculum including elements of number, calculation, geometry, measures and statistics. Maths sessions are well resourced and children are prompted to use this equipment regularly, maximising independence and individual success. For us, fluency is paramount and therefore developed through the repetition of key facts and daily mental maths practise - improving confidence, speed and accuracy. More complex concepts are broken down into small, sequential, structured steps, which are routinely practiced and regularly applied within reasoning and problem solving to maximise chances of success. Working walls are clearly displayed within the classroom and easily accessible for all pupils, providing a quick, clear prompt for struggling individuals. Pupils learn to develop resilience, confidence and independence using ‘3 before me’ when learning becomes challenging.

We aim for each child to be confident in their yearly objectives. Greater depth pupils are provided with opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding with frequent exposure to varied fluency problems with increasing complexity, as well as problem solving and reasoning questions. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged, being offered complex and sophisticated problems rather than moving onto new content, allowing pupils to develop a rich, deep and secure understanding. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material are provided with support as and when necessary by either the class teacher or teaching assistant, receiving additional practice, before being allowed to move on.

Questioning and assessment for learning allows teachers to address misconceptions promptly, while marking, monitoring and feedback informs subsequent planning, this ensures lessons are correctly sequenced and shows progress across the week for children of all abilities. For those who struggle, interventions are planned from termly Trust wide assessments, that directly correlate to long term plans. The teaching of maths is also monitored on a termly basis through book scrutinies, learning walks and lesson observations.

Finally, Schools in England are now required to administer an online multiplication tables check (MTC) to Year 4 pupils. The purpose of this is to ensure that all pupils can fluently recall times table to 12x12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. To support the children with their multiplication practice we use ‘Times Table Rockstars’ as an online and fun learning platform.