Mathematics

Curriculum

5 Dec

Curriculum intent

The maths department aims to provide all students with a high-quality mathematics education that enables them to develop their mathematical fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. We believe that through appropriate provision all students will be able to flourish in mathematics, thereby supporting, not limiting our SEND and disadvantaged students, and stretching our most able, providing an ambitious curriculum for all. We believe that fluency is achieved through multiple representations of mathematical concepts, introducing material in small steps in a carefully sequenced way, with dedicated time to teach, learn and practice applied problem solving.

The maths department is also committed to fostering a positive and productive mathematical culture in our school, where students are encouraged to be curious, confident, and courageous learners of mathematics. We aim to develop students’ appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, as well as its relevance and usefulness in various contexts and disciplines. We also aim to prepare students for further study and employment in mathematics-related fields, to allow them to engage with life in modern Britain as positive members of the community.

Curriculum implementation

Within mathematics at CCSA we follow a curriculum that broadly follows the White Rose schemes of work. The White Rose maths curriculum is characterised by a belief that all students can achieve in mathematics with appropriate support and challenge. It involves teaching mathematics in small, carefully sequenced steps, which build on each other and connect to previous and future learning.

We regularly assess our students and alter the schemes of learning as needed to accommodate for gaps in knowledge, or to push students on further. The curriculum carefully takes into account when topics were last taught and through a spiral curriculum students regularly re-encounter topics to ensure that key concepts are embedded.

Retrieval practice is also supported by our online homework platform- Sparx maths. An adaptive platform linked to our schemes of learning, Sparx alters the difficulty of questions to suit the abilities of the children answering them. Sparx has videos for each topic that guide students through answering them, we also run a homework club at lunchtimes that students are able to drop in to, in order to access help from maths teachers.

We are currently developing enrichment opportunities outside of the classroom, including a maths mentors program, which allows our most able mathematicians to support their peers. We take part in the maths challenges, and are investigating trips to universities, museums and even Bletchly Park!