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Implementation

Lessons

At Rushden Primary Academy, children practise maths facts each day, such as counting, number bonds and times tables to enable them to be fluent. A wide range of concrete manipulatives are used to reinforce understanding. Alongside this, the children are encouraged to make pictorial representations before going onto the abstract. We encourage resilience and acceptance that struggle is often a necessary step in learning. All children will have opportunities to identify patterns or connections in their maths. Our curriculum allows children to better make sense of the world around them by relating mathematics to everyday life. Teachers assess the children formatively as they are working, as well as providing summative assessments at the end of a block or year, including White Rose tests, KS2 SATS, Year 4 Multiplication Check and PIXL papers.  

At Rushden Primary Academy, mathematics lessons typically last for one hour. The frequency of these lessons varies across different year groups. In Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), there may be a few sessions per week, while in other year groups, mathematics is taught five times a week.

Key Stage 1 and 2 students engage in frequent arithmetic sessions. These sessions, known as Mastering Number sessions in Key Stage 1, involve focused practice on numerical calculations. In Key Stage 2, teachers create custom questions based on identified gaps in learning, which may be identified through whole-class teaching, PIXL (Partners in Excellence) assessments, or SATS (Standardized Assessment Tests).

This link from White Rose Maths outlines the progression in the different year groups:  

https://whiterosemaths.com/new-schemes

At Rushden Primary Academy, the children are also encouraged to apply their mathematical knowledge including measurement and data handling to science and other subjects. The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught new concepts as a class and then practical maths activities are available as part of the continuous provision.      

Events

NSPCC Dress-up for Number Day

We were thrilled to participate in the NSPCC's Number Day on Friday, February 3rd, 2023, showing our support for this important cause. It was a fantastic opportunity to witness how mathematics can be integrated into various subjects such as art, reading, PE, geography, science, and music. As a school, we successfully raised an impressive £205.80 for charity, contributing to the meaningful work of the NSPCC.

Learning outside of the classroom

Maths across the academy
Go to this Sway

Environment- maths working walls and areas 

Maths working walls are helpful tools in the classroom, serving as a reference for teachers and pupils. They showcase the children's progress from the previous and current weeks, displaying relevant learning materials and 'sticky words.' These walls provide easy access to important concepts and foster an engaged learning environment with a combination of concrete, pictorial and abstract methods on display. Maths working walls contain an 'extension' area for pupils to access reasoning questions on speech bubble style stickers.

Rosenshine's Principles- five-part lesson structure 

Maths lessons are taught using our 'Flight Of the Kite' 5-part lesson structure, which is based on Rosenshine's principles. 

At Rushden Primary Academy, the teaching process in mathematics follows a structured approach that involves reactivating prior knowledge, teaching new concepts, guided practice, independent work, and reflection. Here is a breakdown of each stage:

  1. Reactivate: To begin a lesson, teachers reactivate students' prior knowledge through various strategies. This includes using flashback 4 questions from White Rose, gap analysis questions, build it/draw it/connect it/explain it questions, and verbal discussions with talk partners. These activities help students recall and connect previously learnt concepts and prepare them for the new lesson.

  2. Teach: The teaching phase is designed to engage and challenge students, regardless of their abilities. The instruction is pitched at a level that encourages the more able students to deepen their understanding while providing support to others. The CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) approach is utilised, where the teacher models questions and addresses any misconceptions. This phase involves a significant amount of discussion between the teacher and students, fostering a collaborative and interactive learning environment. Students are encouraged to communicate using full sentence stems and use appropriate mathematical vocabulary. They are prompted to compare and contrast concepts by answering questions such as "What's the same?" and "What's different?"

  3. Guided: Throughout the teaching phase, students work with a talk partner to complete a similar-style question. This guided practice allows students to apply their understanding with support and guidance from their partners.

  4. Independent: In the independent phase, students work individually on a variety of fluency, problem-solving, and reasoning questions. Additional challenges or extension questions are available on the "extension" area of the maths working wall to provide further challenges for those who need them.

  5. Reflect: The reflection stage encourages students to reflect on their learning within the lesson. Teachers review students' work to identify any students who may require further intervention or support. Any final misconceptions or areas of difficulty are addressed during this stage to ensure that students have a clear understanding before moving on.

By following this structured approach, Rushden Primary Academy aims to actively engage students in their learning, provide support and challenge based on their abilities, and foster reflective thinking for a deeper understanding of mathematics concepts.

 

Transferable knowledge 

Cross-curricular maths

At our school, we prioritise the integration of mathematics across the curriculum. We believe in the power of embedding mathematical concepts and skills into various subjects. By doing so, we ensure that students not only develop a strong foundation in mathematics but also understand its relevance and application in real-world contexts. Through this approach, we aim to nurture well-rounded learners who can confidently utilise mathematics in diverse areas of study.

 

Homework 

To supplement classroom instruction, students at Rushden Primary Academy have a personalised login for Tackling Tables. This is interacted with in different ways, depending on the pupil's age. This online platform provides interactive activities and games to support the development of times tables or number sense skills. Students are encouraged to use these resources regularly, both in school and at home, and they are given opportunities to challenge themselves and improve their scores on a weekly basis.

Out of school, children are encouraged to learn number bonds and times tables using the Tackling Tables website. Homework is set using ‘Atom Learning,' which introduces the activities using a child-led video and then the children have questions to try.