Our Maths Curriculum

Our Curriculum Intent

At Grappenhall Heys, our maths curriculum centres around teaching maths in small, structured steps so that children learn more and remember more.

Maths is one of the most loved subjects in our school and we have developed a bespoke curriculum for mastery that builds upon previous learning, embedded knowledge and the confident use of mathematical vocabulary. We want children to make rich connections so that they develop fluency, mathematical reasoning, and competency in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. We promote a rich culture of taking risks and embracing challenge whilst developing perseverance and resilience skills. Staff use ongoing assessment opportunities to tackle misconceptions and give children relevant and constructive feedback in order to remove barriers and support future learning. Manipulatives and mathematical representations are used, where appropriate, to scaffold and assist children when engaging with mathematical concepts. Structured interventions and tasks provide additional support and challenge.

In Early Years, our children develop a secure understanding of early mathematical concepts with time to explore manipulatives; to represent problems in their own ways and to communicate their mathematical thinking. Opportunities are provided for daily independent exploration and for children to practise their developing number skills and knowledge in meaningful and fun contexts. Manipulatives are used throughout school to support with mathematical thinking and making connections.

A key aspect of teaching for mastery in our maths curriculum is the celebration of fluency and knowledge through our Maths Award Scheme. We also look to encourage variation in questions and the use of visualisations and manipulatives to expose and explore mathematical structures. All our maths learning builds upon prior knowledge and the introduction of small, connected steps to encourage further understanding and mathematical thinking. Our key driver is to support all children in becoming fluent, confident mathematicians with automaticity and confidence in their knowledge and strategies. Maths at Grappenhall Heys encourages our pupils to have the confidence to apply their mathematical knowledge to other subjects and to know that maths is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy.

The Purpose Of Our Curriculum

We develop children who are …

1. Fluent and automatic in number facts and number value;

2. Confident and effective problem solvers and reasoners;

3. Efficient, accurate and thoughtful calculators;

4. Fluent and passionate in the language of maths;

5. Quick to make connections within maths and in different contexts;

6. Appreciative of the beauty, awe and excitement to be found in the exploration of maths.

Our Curriculum Offer - What We Teach In Maths

The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of our maths curriculum are set out in the EYFS Framework 2021 and National Curriculum 2014, where they are categorised into programmes of study. Teachers’ planning ensures coverage of all these strands and regular, purposeful and deliberate revisiting and recap of prior learning. Pupils are taught mental strategies, informal jottings and formal written methods with a focus on declarative (facts), procedural (methods) and conditional (strategies) knowledge. Lessons and planning also recap previously taught material and prepare children for the introduction of future concepts. All lessons contain opportunities for staff to informally assess pupils' learning and provide opportunties for feedback and to address misconceptions. Higher-attaining children have their breadth and depth of understanding developed and challenged before progressing to skills from a higher year group. We work hard to promote a mastery understanding of the curriculum in maths amongst our pupils and organise our curriculum in a spiral to ensure constant recap of knowledge, concepts, skills and vocabulary.

Children follow the 2014 Maths Curriculum in each year group. We have allocated time to each element of the maths curriculum, although teachers respond and adapt to the children during the year based around the needs of their individual class. See below for our maths long-term-plans, our progression maps and year group-specific curriculum content, which show how we sequence and organise our curriculum.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In Early Years, the EYFS Statutory Framework (click here) and Development Matters document (click here) are used for planning and assessment. Pupils experience a wide range of activities linked to number and shape, space & measure. Activities are planned for children to play, explore, actively learn and develop their thinking skills in maths through focused, continuous and enhanced provision. In Early Years, pupils will also engage in structured mathematical activities – these may be adult-led sessions or independent activities.

Active learning, outdoor learning and opportunities for guided and independent play are key components used in the delivery of our Early Years maths curriculum.

Our school has adopted NCETM's Mastering Number programme in Reception to support in the learning and teaching of maths and to promote number sense. This is taught alongside regular, targeted teaching of all areas of the EYFS curriculum and continuous indoor and outdoor maths provision in both Nursery and Reception.

Click here to learn about Early maths at Grappenhall Heys.

Click here for maths support for parents as children leave Reception and prepare for Year 1.

Key Stage 1 and 2

In Key Stage 1 and 2, in line with the National Curriculum (click here), maths lessons are planned and taught to ensure cross-strand coverage of all of the key mathematical strands:

Number and place value
Addition and subtraction
Multiplication and division
Fractions (including decimals and percentages)
Ratio and proportion
Algebra
Measurement
Geometry (properties of shapes)
Geometry (position and direction)
Statistics

Our Bespoke Curriculum Offer from EYFS to the end of KS2

We do not follow a specific scheme with our maths curriculum, but provide our pupils with a bespoke offer utilising resources and activities from a range of resources and following the NCETM Teaching for Mastery approach. Our long-term and medium-term / small steps planning makes reference and links to NCETM resources; White Rose Maths teaching resources; NRICH maths activities and Gareth Metcalfe's I See Reasoning materials.

In Early Years, we have adopted the NCETMs Mastering Number resources and use these alongside White Rose resources and Mastering the Curriculum (Nursery) to ensure consistency and challenge across the classes.

National Curriculum for Maths

Click here for the EYFS Statutory Framework

Click here Development Matters curriculum statements for Reception and Nursery children

Click here to access the maths National Curriculum - The National Curriculum outlines the key objectives for each year group. These have been organised into long-term plans that ensure coverage, time to recap and visit, and progression in each year group. The plans provide guidance to staff on time to spend covering each unit of work. However, plans may differ as staff respond and adapt to the individual needs of each cohort.

Click here for the KS3 Maths National Curriculum to see the next steps of learning beyond our primary curriculum.

Roadmaps for Maths

Click on the image above to see our maths roadmaps. These roadmaps track the expectations for each year group and, when compared, show progression across each element of maths in school. In Key Stage 1 and 2, pupils have maths learning roadmaps in their books to show their yearly journey and key knowledge across the maths curriculum.

Maths Planning

Click on the links below to view our maths long-term plans

Nursery long-term planning

Reception long-term planning

Year 1 long-term planning

Year 2 long-term planning

Year 3 long-term planning

Year 4 long-term planning

Year 5 long-term planning

Year 6 long-term planning

Click on the links below to view our maths medium-term plan with end points

Nursery medium-term planning

Reception medium-term planning

Year 1 medium-term planning

Year 2 medium-term planning

Year 3 medium-term planning

Year 4 medium-term planning

Year 5 medium-term planning

Year 6 medium-term planning

These small-step, medium-term plans also provide expectations of end points to staff and pupils for each area of study.

Knowledge Progression Maps

We have adapted the NCETM KS1 and KS2 (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) progression maps and have combined these alongside the NCETM progression maps for Early Years and Development Matters curriculum statements for Reception and Nursery children. Our progression maps ensure the confident acquisition of mathematical knowledge, skills and vocabulary across the school from our Nursery children to the end of KS2. Further progression can be seen in out long term and medium term planning above.

Click here for the number and place value progression map

Click here for the addition and subtraction progression map

Click here for the multiplication and division progression map

Click here for the fractions, decimals and percentages progression map

Click here for the ratio and proportion progression map

Click here for the algebra progression map.

Click here for the measurement progression map

Click here for the geometry (properties of shape) progression map

Click here for the geometry (position, direction and movement) progression map

Click here for the statistics progression map

Click here to access the DFE guidance on progression across maths for all year groups

Maths Vocabulary Progression

Click here for the progression in vocabulary across primary school

Maths Knowledge Organisers

Knowledge organisers are used by staff, pupils and parents to share the key fluency facts for each year group and to support pupils in lessons in class. Pupils and parents have access to these and can use them to support their learning.

Click here for the EYFS knowledge organiser.
Click here for the Year 1 knowledge organiser.
Click here for the Year 2 knowledge organiser.
Click here for the Year 3 knowledge organiser.
Click here for the Year 4 knowledge organiser.
Click here for the Year 5 / 6 knowledge organiser.

Knowledge organisers, alongside the learning roadmaps, small step planning, calculation policies and progression maps, are used by teachers to understand what children should already know and how they are adding to pupils' knowledge, fluency and mathematical thinking in a child's journey within our school.

Our Curriculum Offer - How We Teach Maths

A maths lesson at Grappenhall Heys often begins with an opportunity to recap, connect and embed prior learning. The start of a lesson will ensure that pupils access previously taught skills, concepts, vocabulary or knowledge. We want our children to learn more and remember more and promote maths mastery in all lessons. A central component to our teaching is the NCETM's Five Big Ideas in Teaching for Mastery. Drawn from research, these ideas, alongside our learning pedagogy, underpin our teaching and pupils' learning across school.

The Five Big Ideas for Maths Mastery

Coherence - Lessons are broken down into small, connected steps that gradually unfold the concept, providing access for all children and leading to a generalisation of the concept and the ability to apply the knowledge in a range of contexts.
Representation and Structure - Representations used in lessons expose the mathematical structure being taught. Pupils become confident as they get older to do their maths without needing the visual or practical representation.
Mathematical Thinking - If taught ideas are to be understood deeply, they must not merely be passively received but must be worked on by pupils. They need to think about, reason with, explore, discuss and experience concepts in a range of ways and contexts.
Fluency - Quick and efficient recall of facts and procedures and the flexibility to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics are crucial to developing pupils' mathematical thinking and confidence.
Variation - Variation is twofold. It is firstly about how teachers represent the concept being taught, often in more than one way, to draw attention to critical aspects. It is also about the sequencing of learning, activities and exercises used within a lesson and follow up practice, paying attention to what is kept the same and what changes, and drawing attention to mathematical relationships and structure.

Lessons in all classes offer children opportunities to tackle fluency, problem solving and reasoning questions and to work independently and with their peers. Teachers and teaching assistants scaffold learning and model examples, adapting and varying teaching to suit pupil needs. We check pupil understanding through effective questioning and responsive teaching and provide our children with opportunities to deepen and broaden their understanding. Our maths curriculum is planned in small, sequenced steps, which allow children to make connections between prior learning, knowledge and vocabulary.

I Do. We Do. You Do.

Teachers set clear success criteria(whether this is the end of one lesson or a sequence of lessons) and begin to deliver sequenced steps of teaching to meet these learning goals
Lesson instruction will always include a modelled example
Challenge is set by ‘deepening’ or ‘broadening’ learning moments through discussion, debate and exploration.
Children are always encouraged to explore mathematical concepts and staff adapt teaching to promote success

Responsive Teaching

Questioning is deliberate, effedctive and targeted
Pupils are encouraged to use the class working wall, maths knowledge organisers and help desk
All teachers adapt their teaching to meet the needs of individual pupils are barriers to learning are removed
Teaching and learning is scaffolded
Common misconceptions are pre-empted and addressed in teaching

What? Why? How?

High expectations are set for all pupils
Exceptional outcomes are achieved through scaffolding learning and providing children with opportunities to complete varied, intelligent practice – tasks which avoid mechanical repetition but instead promote thinking to make connections.
Learning goals and small, sequenced steps in learning are shared with all children
Where appropriate, children are involved in establishing and defining clear success criteria

Linking Learning

Previously taught knowledge is revisited and recapped regularly
Within the lesson or a sequence of lessons, staff regularly recap and review the learning to check that children are remembering more
Connections are made across all areas of maths to link learning and to support staff in broadening understanding
Vocabulary acquisition and use is at the heart of our curriculum

Feedforward

Learning is regularly reviewed and revisited
Feedback and feedforward suggestions are given to children within all lessons as staff adapt teaching to meet their needs
Both summative and formative assessment are used to support ongoing teacher assessment
All children, regardless of their starting points, have opportunities to tackle problem solving and reasoning tasks and to deepen their knowledge and understanding

Why are fluency, knowledge and vocabulary so important?

In all maths lessons at Grappenhall Heys, pupils practise their declarative and procedural knowledge (facts and methods) using the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).

Mathematical knowledge, a sense of number and fluency underpin all elements of the maths curriculum. To motivate and reward children in developing and securing their fluency skills, we have developed a Maths Award Scheme, throughout KS2, which builds upon prior learning. Pupils in EYFS and KS1 use NumBots to focus on their fluency skills and KS2 pupils all have Times Tables Rock Stars logins. Children have access to these websites both in school and at home. In all classes, children complete fluency activities to help them remember more. Children retrieve knowledge from last lesson, last week, last month and last year.

We encourage children to become increasingly independent workers who have a rapid recall of key facts and can consciously choose efficient strategies. Our pupils are fluent in the language and vocabulary of maths and confident to talk about their learning. A combination of this knowledge boosts pupils’ confidence and fluency in maths and allows them to interact with more complex and abstract tasks.

Why are reasoning and problem-solving skills important?

We use conditional knowledge (strategies) every day in our lives. Staff teach children to apply and compare their mathematical thinking, vocabulary and understanding in a variety of contexts and situations. Children are motivated and become confident at solving problems and explaining their reasoning. We encourage independent, partner and group work to ensure that children communicate effectively about maths; can explain their thought processes and can prove things!

Where needed, work is scaffolded or broken down into clear steps (coherence) as pupils are taught problem-solving strategies. In class, manipulatives and representatives are used to support pupils of all ability where appropriate and are removed once independence has been achieved.

We aim to develop resilient and curious learners with the skills to succeed and a life-long love of maths. Setbacks are character building and our children learn to be resourceful and persevere in order to succeed. Challenge and risk taking are encouraged and our children are always keen to have a go and not afraid to fail and need to try again!

Ambition for all

Our vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils succeed and we deliver a curriculum that is accessible to all children. Click here for further information on how we support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In maths, all lessons are structured to meet the needs of individual pupils, to remove barriers to learning and to recap and build upon prior learning, knowledge and vocabulary.

We also use pre-learning activities, additional fluency practice and the use of models and visual representations to support children to remember more. Our maths offer is ambitious and ensures that all pupils make progress and have access to fluency, problem solving and reasoning tasks. In most cases, SEND pupils continue to work on the curriculum of their year group. However, where appropriate, SEND children are assessed against pre-key stage standards or by the engagement model. Where appropriate for SEND children (pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities), the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum 2014 will be used to identify suitable objectives to be incorporated into intervention plans and/or individual pupil targets. We encourage the use of active learning across the curriculum to support all pupils to learn more and remember more.

To support our vulnerable and disadvantaged children, we identify individual pupils’ interests and talents, and build on these positives. There is a strong focus on providing a safe and nurturing environment and a whole-school approach to building positive relationships with both pupils and their families.

We have high expectations of the achievement and efforts of all our pupils and celebrate their successes.

More able and talented pupils will be identified through a range of activities and their needs will be met through the development of individual or group programmes that encompass a range of learning styles and are designed to enrich the curriculum. Pupils who are working at a higher level are challenged within class and with activities that broaden and deepen their grasp of the curriculum, rather than simply teaching them objectives from the year above.

What Makes Maths Special at Grappenhall Heys?

Everybody in our school loves maths and we work hard to promote the subject at Grappenhall Heys. We ensure that all pupils, regardless of their starting points, have access to high-quality lessons and challenge that promote mastery. Teachers use responsive teaching to adapt learning and provide resources to meet the needs of pupils to and ensure ambition for all. Constant informal assessments of pupil progress and understanding inform structured, timely interventions and support in the planning of future lessons. Alongside tasks to assess misconceptions and extend learning, we develop pupil independence and resilience when tackling fluency, problem solving and reasoning questions.

In addition, we have regular STEM / maths celebrations, use specialist teaching, host more able and talented workshops for local schools and have close links with Bridgewater High School. Across the curriculum, we aim to develop cross-curricular links, encourage creativity and provide opportunities and ambition for pupils of all abilities. We invite all our children to take part in the 'Primary Maths Challenge' and 'First Maths Challenge' annually. In addition, our Year 3, 4 and 5 exceptional mathematicians compete against other children across the country.

We also promote a love of maths and fluency through our Maths Award Scheme – click here for more information.

Primary Maths Challenge 2024

Every year, we enter our pupils in the Primary Maths Challenge (PMC). This year, 64,000 children took part across the country and two of our Year 6 pupils scored over 20 out out 25 and were invited back to take part in the bonus round.

Click here to see how the results work and to see the Bonus Round Award Winners List 2024.