Vision
At Houghton Conquest Lower School these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and develop upon their learning in Pre-School. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of Mathematics by supporting the needs of all students.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Maths aims to ensure that:
At Houghton Conquest Lower School these skills are embedded within Maths lessons and developed consistently over time. We are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Maths in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of Mathematics.
The content and principles underpinning the 2014 Mathematics curriculum and the Maths curriculum at Houghton Conquest Lower School reflect those found in high-performing education systems internationally, particularly those of east and south-east Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China. These principles and features characterise this approach and convey how our curriculum is implemented:
Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention.
To ensure whole consistency and progression, the school uses the DfE approved ‘Power Maths scheme. This is fully aligned with the White Rose Maths scheme and the school’s ongoing engagement with the DFE funded Maths Hubs programme continues to ensure that staff at all levels understand the pedagogy of the approach. New concepts are shared within the context of a real life problem, which children are able to discuss in partners. This initial problem-solving activity prompts discussion and reasoning, as well as promoting an awareness of maths in relatable real-life contexts that link to other areas of learning. In KS1, these problems are almost always presented with objects (concrete manipulatives) for children to use. Children may also use manipulatives in KS2. Teachers use careful questions to draw out children’s discussions and their reasoning. The class teacher then leads children through strategies for solving the problem, including those already discussed. Independent work provides the means for all children to develop their fluency further, before progressing to more complex related problems. Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time. Each lesson phase provides the means to achieve greater depth, with more able children being offered rich and sophisticated problems, as well as exploratory, investigative tasks, within the lesson as appropriate.
The school has a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Children can underperform in Mathematics because they think they can’t do it or are not naturally good at it. The Power Maths programme addresses these preconceptions by ensuring that all children experience challenge and success in Mathematics by developing a growth mindset. Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child. These factors ensure that we are able to maintain high standards, with achievement at the end of LKS2 well above the national average and a high proportion of children demonstrating greater depth, at the end of each phase.
Algebra Progression Map
Geometry – Position and Direction Progression Map
Geometry – Properties of Shapes Progression Map
Measurement Progression Map
Number – Addition and Subtraction Progression Map
Number – Fractions (including Decimals and Percentages) Progression Map
Number – Multiplication and Division Progression Map
Number – Number and Place Value Progression Map
Statistics Progression Map
Policies
Power Maths Calculation Policy Reception Autumn 2023
Power Maths Calculation Policy KS1 Autumn 2023
Power Maths Calculation Policy LKS2 Autumn 2023