Mathematics
At Walkern we aim to teach children how to make sense of the world around them by developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems. We aim to support children in achieving economic well-being by equipping them with a range of arithmetic and reasoning skills and the ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts by delivering a mastery curriculum.
Our aims in the teaching of mathematics are:
- to promote enjoyment of learning through practical activity, exploration and discussion;
- to develop confidence and competence with numbers and the number system;
- to develop the ability to solve problems through decision-making and reasoning in a range of contexts;
- to develop a practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered and presented; to explore features of shape and space, and developing measuring skills in a range of contexts;
- to help children understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life.
- to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
- to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
At Walkern we use the Hertfordshire Essential Maths as it works through a concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA) approach to implementing the curriculum, providing opportunities to allow children to experience Maths at a greater depth. This allows the children the opportunity to decode the symbolic and abstract language of Maths, and enables a gradual and understandable picture of number in their conscious which can finally be relayed in an abstract manner. The CPA approach works as follows -
Concrete – students should have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they are doing.
Pictorial – students should then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can then be used to reason and solve problems.
Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid, students should be able to move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.
Across the school we ensure that all children are given the opportunity to feel successful with their mathematical learning, no matter what challenges or barriers they face. Our school day is effectively structured to ensure that children who need support or that extra push have time to take part in pre-teaching or interventions where necessary. Our curriculum is planned in a spiral manner to ensure repetition of knowledge and skills. During each of our daily lessons we encourage children to count aloud, practice fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills and ask mathematical questions. We develop their ability to independently select and use appropriate concrete apparatus to support their conceptual understanding and build procedural fluency.
