Our Vision

Our aim at Mountfield is to develop confident and engaged mathematicians who see maths as a fun and creative subject. We use a Maths Mastery Approach, progressing teaching in small steps and using a variety of concrete and visual resources, in order to develop children who have a deep understanding of maths and the number system. Children will have high expectations of themselves, and a whole class mixed ability approach will be used to avoid leaving individual children behind on their learning journey.

We aim for children to have good recall of their number facts which they can use and apply confidently to a wide range of problems. Showing resilience and perseverance, children will work together to explore problems, identify patterns, make connections and communicate, question and evaluate ideas effectively.

Maths Mastery at Mountfield

At Mountfield, we see maths mastery as an approach which is used to deepen children’s understanding of maths, rather than them becoming reliant on rote methods & procedures. The aim of this approach is that the vast majority of children develop a secure understanding of their year group’s concepts so that they can apply their learning to unfamiliar problems.

This approach is underpinned by:

• A whole school focus on growth mindset throughout the year.
• Careful planning using NCETM spine and prioritisation materials, using a whole class, small steps approach.
• Use of a wide range of representations and resources in lessons.
• A clear teacher focus on precise mathematical vocabulary and use of stem sentences.
• Excellent teacher questioning, which focusses on encouraging children to explore and identify patterns as well as prove and explain concepts.
• Strong assessment for learning to ensure the curriculum has not only been taught but learned.
• 5-a-day and arithmetic sessions designed to pre-teach or re-visit learning, to improve children’s retrieval & retention.

Our Maths Journey June 2023

This year, we have completed our first full year using the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation & Spine Materials as the basis of our planning. We have completed the embedding phase of the Maths Mastery course with our Year 2 and Year 6 teachers attending the TRG meetings.

Over the last year we have carried out CPD and learning walks to develop the whole-class small steps approach using the NCETM prioritisation and spine materials across the school. We have particularly focussed on ensuring that whole class teaching is accessible to all, through the use of visuals, manipulatives and careful choice of numbers. In addition to this staff have also observed recorded lessons from teachers in Year 3 and Year 6 modelling good practice using this approach.

This year, we have also continued to develop our work on children’s fluency and retention of key facts. Children in Reception and Key Stage 1 have used the daily Mastering Number scheme, which has had a positive impact upon the children’s basic fluency. In Key Stage 2, teachers have continued to use daily 5-a-day practice sessions in order to consolidate understanding and ensure children retain the strategies they have already been taught. Weekly arithmetic lessons, with an exclusive focus on both mental and written calculations strategies are also used to improve children’s mathematical fluency. We have also carried out CPD to ensure that stem sentences and working walls are used effectively in maths lessons to support children’s learning and retention of key facts and strategies.

Growth Mindset continues to be a focus, with each term having its own key message from our Positive Norm posters:

Autumn – Mistakes Make your Brain Grow

Spring – It Takes Time, Effort & Perseverance

Summer – Ask Questions

Our Mountfield Maths Values which reinforce these messages are regularly used to praise children and each half-term 2 Maths Masters are chosen from each class who have embodied these values in their maths lessons.

As a result of our recent changes to our maths curriculum, children’s attitudes towards maths have greatly improved over the last two years with 90% of children saying they enjoy maths in recent surveys compared to 56% two years ago.

Next year, as well as continuing to embed our work from this year, we will have a particular CPD focus on developing children’s mathematical thinking.