Our Maths Subject Leader is Mr Taylor.
Curriculum Intent
At Gilnow Primary School, we aim to not only teach the mathematical skills our children will need to further their education, but to help them to develop a passion for mathematics that can only help to improve their understanding and ability. We firmly believe that children should be well prepared not only to sit their exams, but to understand the world around
them and think critically to solve problems in their every day lives. As a result, we have curated our mathematics curriculum to be inclusive of all children so that every child can feel well prepared to progress with their education at the end of KS2. To do this, we employ a range of different approaches ranging from activities that are purely concrete or discussion
based, to more traditional written work as and when it is appropriate.
We feel that our curriculum genuinely helps our children no matter their ability or background and encourages them to explore new mathematical ideas and develop a curiosity for maths that will allow them to grow as mathematicians.
Curriculum Implementation
At Gilnow, we follow the White Rose Maths scheme, which is a mastery approach to maths, as we feel it places a particular emphasis on understanding mathematical vocabulary and ideas. By following the White Rose Maths scheme, we ensure that all of the national curriculum points are covered, and our teachers are properly supported with their subject knowledge and understanding. In addition to this, it also ensures that our approach across the school is consistent, so the quality of teaching remains constantly high as the children progress up the school.
Whilst White Rose Maths provides a good framework for the teaching of maths for most children, we also recognise that sometimes children will misunderstand a concept and require some extra support. To ensure that they receive this, we regularly assess our children’s understanding, both formally and informally, by:
- Following a termly assessment schedule that ties in with the White Rose Maths scheme.
- Completing regular pre and post learning activities, that are then used to inform future teaching.
- Formative assessment every lesson, to inform future planning and assist with deciding whether any additional support is needed for a given topic.
This approach allows us to quickly identify any misconceptions that a child might have, and address it appropriately. We do this either as a class, if our teachers feel it would be beneficial for all of the children to recap a given topic, or in a small group if only a few need some extra support. When this is the case, we use the ready to progress criteria, from the Department for Education, to identify the specific misconceptions our children have.
Then, we use the supporting resources from the NCETM to recap the topic, whilst ensuring that the focus is on understanding the ideas behind the topic, not just a method or a trick to get the right answer.
Curriculum Impact
We aim for all of our children to consistently hit the targets laid out by the national curriculum every year, but particularly by the end of KS2. Our aforementioned assessment schedule and intervention programme ensures that this happens as consistently as possible.
Children at Gilnow genuinely enjoy maths, and are encouraged to experiment and take risks to further their understanding. We thrive to create an environment where children are not afraid to make mistakes, and are not intimidated by challenging problems that require some thought to solve.
Our children are supported throughout their entire time here, by our high standard of teaching and consistent approach and the results are easily seen by the progress they make through the school.
