Maths Curriculum At Geoffrey Field Junior School
The aim of our maths curriculum is that our pupils leave us with:
Singapore Maths
Since September 2016, we have been using mathematics mastery approaches associated with Singapore Maths – this is based upon best practice research and ensures that we are offering our pupils a world-class maths curriculum. The Department for Education, the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM), the National Curriculum Review Committee and OFSTED have all emphasised the successful teaching and learning approaches developed in Singapore. We use the only Government approved maths textbooks (Maths No Problem) to support teaching using these approaches and to ensure that we are aiming for age expected learning in every year group.
In 2016/17 pupils in Y3 and Y4 were taught using these approaches and resources. In 2017/18 pupils in Y3, Y4 and Y5 are being taught using these approaches and resources and in 2018/19 all year groups will be fully using this approach.
The principles of Singapore Maths at Geoffrey Field Junior School:
Core Competencies
In addition to a daily maths lesson, all year groups have additional weekly maths lessons which focus on the core competencies. These are the five key mental strategies that underpin all areas of maths learning.
What we teach
Our Curriculum reflects the expectations of the National Curriculum for maths for each year group. We group age expected objectives together to form units of work which we teach over the year. If pupils are not secure in their learning in any of the key weighted units (see assessment below), they will receive further lessons in the second half of the year.
Units of work
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Assessment in maths
Before we start teaching a new unit of work, teachers carry out a prior learning check which enables pupils to show what knowledge, skills and understanding they already have. This information is used by the teachers to:
At the end of each unit teachers assess each pupils’ learning and decide whether they have shown that they are working towards age expected learning, working at age expected learning or working at greater depth for that unit. We have a local agreement between the primary schools within our local cluster (WEC) that we will all assess maths in the same way and have an agreed set of criteria that we all use.
At the end of the year a summative judgement is made based upon the learning in each unit of work and pupils’ retention and application of learning over the year. In WEC we have agreed to weight some areas of maths – number, place value and calculations are given greater weighting than other areas of maths. Pupils who are not demonstrating secure learning in the first half of the year in these weighted areas will be given further teaching in the second half of the year to ensure that pupils leave each year group with secure learning in the key areas of maths.
Geoffrey Field Junior School
Exbourne Rd
Reading
Berkshire
RG2 8RH
Tel: 0118 937 5475
Email : admin@geoffreyfield-jun.reading.sch.uk