Yew Tree Community School

Mathematics

Intent:

At Yew Tree, we use the sequence of small steps from White Rose Maths to structure our high-quality maths curriculum. This framework is supplemented with other resources to provide appropriate national curriculum coverage that is challenging and enjoyable, giving children the opportunity to become confident mathematicians. We aspire for children to become fluent mathematicians, develop an in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, and be able to reason mathematically and solve problems. Children throughout the school follow a mathematical process based on the CPA approach, where they learn a concept using concrete apparatus, represent it pictorially, and then use the skills in an abstract way to carry out calculations. The Mastering Number programme in Reception and KS1 helps children develop fluency in calculation, as well as confidence and flexibility with number.

Implementation:

At Yew Tree, we use the White Rose small steps to plan our sequence of maths lessons to ensure that children develop skills sequentially, building a depth of understanding for each mathematical skill. To support our teachers with planning and delivering high-quality maths lessons, we use a range of planning resources including those provided by White Rose, NCETM, and Master the Curriculum. Our curriculum helps children bridge the gap between abstract mathematical concepts and concrete representations they can manipulate and draw. Our pupils access concrete, pictorial, and abstract mathematical learning alongside rich mathematical language.

All classrooms are resourced with high-quality concrete manipulatives, supporting pupils in making meaningful mathematical links and enabling them to talk more effectively about the maths they are doing. All children are expected to succeed and make progress from their starting points; regardless of attainment, they work through fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving activities. Children have opportunities to revisit prior learning to retain fluency of mathematical facts. Teachers in KS2 plan and deliver additional maths sessions to support fluency development, while Reception and KS1 develop and demonstrate good number sense through the Mastering Number programme. Times Table Rock Stars is used at home and in school to support times table facts, and individual pupil successes are celebrated weekly in assemblies.

All teachers receive high-quality CPD to support the teaching and delivery of mathematics. Through our teaching, we continuously monitor children’s progress against expected attainment for their age. We hold termly pupil progress meetings with members of the senior leadership team. Teachers update Sonar Tracker (our assessment tracker) termly. The main purpose of our assessments is to ensure we provide high-quality provision for all children.

Impact:

After implementing our maths curriculum, children understand the relevance of what they are learning in mathematics and how it links to everyday life. Pupils foster an enjoyment of mathematics, evident in pupil feedback and the pride they take in their work. Books show varied fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving tasks and demonstrate progression through the school. Children retain taught concepts and knowledge due to the CPA approach, reason with increased confidence, and approach problems analytically in multiple ways. Our outcomes are strong, often at or above the national average in end-of-key-stage assessments. Most pupils are ready for their next stage of education. Those who do not meet end-of-year expectations still make good progress from their starting points