Intent

At Marsh Green, we deliver our mathematics curriculum to ensure it follows the key aims of the National Curriculum. We aim to ensure that all pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics and in number so that pupils develop solid conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.

Pupils at Marsh Green are taught to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, finding connections and establishing relationships whilst confidently using mathematical language. Our mathematics curriculum carefully sequences knowledge, concepts and procedures to build mathematical knowledge and skills systematically over time.

We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy mathematics and to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics.

Implementation

Marsh Green follows the principles behind ‘mastery in mathematics’- believing that all pupils need a deep understanding of the mathematics they are learning so that future mathematical learning is built on solid foundations. 

Primarily we follow Power Maths which is developed with the 5 key principles of ‘maths for mastery’ at its core: fluency, mathematical thinking, representation and structure, coherence, variation. The school is on an exciting journey with the North East London Maths Hub, embedding these principles.

At the heart of Power Maths is a clearly structured teaching and learning process that helps us make certain that every child masters each maths concept securely and deeply. For each year group, the curriculum is broken down into core concepts, taught in units. A unit divides into smaller learning steps – lessons. Step by step, strong foundations of cumulative knowledge and understanding are built.

Whilst the majority of pupils are taught the same content at the same pace, pupils are still appropriately supported with their learning to fill gaps or challenged in their learning to gain depth of understanding and proficiency. Teacher/pupil interaction explores, in detail, how answers were obtained, why the method/strategy worked, and what might be the most efficient method. Teachers reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in mathematics. Practice and consolidation play a central role. Carefully designed variation within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual and procedural knowledge and assess children regularly to identify those requiring intervention.

At Marsh Green, we recognise that the practice of mental and written arithmetic skills are crucial in order to keep calculation skills fresh. Weekly arithmetic lessons are used to teach children how to retain facts and become fluent in written methods of calculations outside of the Power Maths lessons, with the intention of freeing up the working memory so that pupils can focus on the problem solving and reasoning elements of the unit being taught.

In addition to arithmetic lessons, students partake in weekly ‘fluent in five’ practise, three times a week. Children are given exactly 5 minutes to complete the set of questions with the number of questions provided in each challenge increasing as the year progresses, so that children develop their speed and fluency. 

Teachers at Marsh Green aim to ensure that throughout the school pupils are given opportunities for:

• practical activities and mathematical games
• problem solving
• investigations
• individual, paired, group and whole class discussions and activities
• open and closed tasks
• a range of methods of calculating 
• working with computers as a mathematical tool