Maths
At Sudbourne, our aim is for pupils to develop a love of mathematics. We want pupils to be curious about problem solving and give them opportunities to identify and recognise patterns and rules; learning the why. This develops their skills to think independently and to have the vocabulary to explain their learning and relate these skills to real life. We also want to encourage resilient learners who accept that mistakes are a step in their learning journey.
We deliver lessons that are fun and engaging. We want children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, reasoning and problem solving. From Nursery to Year 6, we use White Rose teaching resources as a basis for our planning. We systematically build on the sequence of lesson objectives, ensuring there is progressive coverage throughout the school. Our Curriculum is developed in a mastery style, allowing children to evolve deep conceptual understanding of Maths and giving them equal access to the curriculum, no-matter their starting point.
What methods are taught?
We use a CPA approach (concrete, pictorial and abstract representations) to allow deep, sustainable learning for all pupils.
Concrete representation: This is “doing,” where the pupil is introduced to an idea or skill using real objects to support their understanding.
Pictorial representation: This is the “seeing” where the pupil has understood the hands-on experiences and can now build or draw the problem to make mental connections between concrete and representations.
Abstract representation: This is the “symbolic” where the pupil can now represent problems using mathematical symbols.
Each classroom is equipped with concrete resources to support the delivery of Maths. Resources are used to deepen understanding and children are encouraged to self-select.
For more information on the CPA approach, read the "CPA Approach" document:
How are pupils challenged and supported?
The current National Curriculum document says: ‘The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace[…] Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.’ (National curriculum page 3)
We believe that it is important to enable our greater depth children to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of “how” questions, in order to show their depth of understanding. We use Enrich, along side Third Space resources, to further stretch and challenge all our children, particularly those working at greater depth level. We encourage them to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways, using sophisticated language to explain their thinking. Children in need of further support will benefit from same day precision teaching of key concepts, as well as regular targeted intervention using Mathletics.