Why we love maths at Woodlea:  “Everyone Can.”

“I like it because it is really easy to understand. The explanations are clear.” – Leo . 

Children leave Woodlea with a secure knowledge of mathematical concepts and confidence to approach problem solving situations. We prepare them for secondary school with the mathematical foundation they need to be successful and we prepare them for life through problem solving – a multi-faceted area which goes far beyond just the core mathematics, but logical reasoning and observing different perspectives of situations.

“I like maths at Woodlea because it is not too hard or too easy and I like having a go at the extension work.” Louisa 

“I like maths because I like to do math sums and do hard ones – I like a challenge.” Henry 

Our curriculum, delivered through White Rose and the Mastery approach, ensures that all pupils are able to access mathematics and make every person at Woodlea a successful mathematician. It is because of this that pupils are excited and engaged with mathematics in their lessons and strive to learn more. Every pupil has the opportunity to extend themselves and their knowledge, every pupil has resources to enable access to the curriculum, every pupil can succeed at Woodlea.

“I really like maths at Woodlea because we use counters and dienes to help us and the teachers are really nice if we are struggling with a question.”  Charlie 

“I like maths because it is educational and the pictures make it easier to understand.” William 

Not only do we provide essential understanding of mathematics for the pupils, but we go beyond the classroom to further encourage mathematics: outdoor learning opportunities in our vast grounds to explore mathematics in nature; inviting external visitors (such as the Royal Institute) to lead exciting and engaging workshops with groups of children; and applying mathematics to real-world scenarios, run through enterprise projects such as the Fiver Challenge.

“I like doing maths at Woodlea because it is fun and it helps you understand new things for when you get older.” Prudie 

“I like learning new things every week and we get to summarise our learning, helping me remember my maths.” Alice 

An enriching, engaging and precise curriculum can only be delivered by staff who understand the detailed small steps within mathematical concepts, understand the importance of secure mathematical foundations and know how to bring it to life for their pupils. Woodlea staff are regularly trained and updated with the most current White Rose content and Mastery approach skills. Staff are actively engaged with improving their practise by observing and teaching each other classes, team teaching lessons, shared planning workshops and working with colleagues across the Tandridge Learning Trust to ensure that our pupils at Woodlea are getting the highest quality teaching of mathematics.

“I find maths easier when my teacher breaks down the problem with me on a whiteboard.” Summer 

 

 

We are currently supported by training through the Maths Hub provided by the NCETM. Click here for more details on the principles of mastery from their website.

As part of our work with the NCETM, we are proudly part of the Mastering Number programme which is running in Receptions, KS1 and now KS2. This programme follows a series of daily 10 minute sessions developing a particular aspect of number. 

At KS1 and Reception: 

"This project aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from Reception through to Year 1 and Year 2. The aim over time is that children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Attention will be given to key knowledge and understanding needed in Reception classes, and progression through KS1 to support success in the future."  More information here. 

At KS2 :

"Knowledge of multiplication and division and its applications forms the single most important aspect of the KS2 curriculum, and is the gateway to success at secondary school. This project enables pupils in Years 4 and 5 to develop fluency in multiplication and division facts, and a confidence and flexibility with number that exemplifies good number sense." More information here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Woodlea, we are excited to develop our number and multiplication facts through the use of TTRockstars and Numbots. Children will access the website at school and consolidate their knowledge at home by completing these exciting, interactive programmes which intuitively target gaps in children's knowledge whilst being engaging. Certificates are given out weekly for biggest improvements in correct answers and speed and the children like being able to compete with each other on this platform. Click here for a link to TTRockstars and click here for Numbots.

Every child will have a login which a pupil's class teacher will have access to. Please ask them if you need your child's login details. 

To support multiplication practice within and outside of school, we have TTRockstar Themed handouts which can be used with your children to practice through rolling numbers, a virtual counting stick and fact families. These resources can be found at the bottom of the page. 

 

How do we teach maths at Woodlea:

“I like multiplying because it is really easy. It has been explained to me in a really easy way to understand.” Sana Y5 

“I like solving reasoning problems because I like figuring out how to solve different problems.” Elliot Y5

Here at Woodlea, we have adopted the Mastery approach which we deliver through the White Rose Scheme of learning. Mastery is an internationally recognised and evidence- based approach to teaching mathematics. Mastery can take many forms in different schools based on their interpretation. But what you want to fundamentally know is what this looks like for your child and what experience they will get whilst at Woodlea.

 

 For more information on White Rose, click here to be linked to their website.

 

Mastery at Woodlea is defined as:

Whole class moves through content at the same pace

When teaching maths for mastery, the whole class moves through topics at broadly the same pace. Each topic is studied in depth and the teacher does not move to the next stage until all children demonstrate that they have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts.

Time to think deeply about the maths

Students are given time to think deeply about the maths and really understand concepts at a relational level rather than as a set of rules or procedures. This slower pace leads to greater progress because it ensures that students are secure in their understanding and teachers don’t need to revisit topics once they’ve been covered in depth.

Builds self-confidence in learners

In a traditional primary school maths lesson, children are put in different groups and given different content based on their anticipated ability. This means that from an early age children are classed as those who can and can’t “do maths”. Teaching maths for mastery is different because it offers all pupils access to the full maths curriculum. This inclusive approach, and its emphasis on promoting multiple methods of solving a problem, builds self-confidence and resilience in pupils.

Differentiates through depth rather than acceleration

Though the whole class goes through the same content at the same pace, there is still plenty of opportunity for differentiation. Unlike the old model, where advanced learners are accelerated through new content, those pupils who grasp concepts quickly are challenged with rich and sophisticated problems within the topic. Those children who are not sufficiently fluent are provided additional support to consolidate their understanding before moving on.

CPA  - Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract

As is recommended by the Maths Hub group, mathematics at Woodlea is taught through the use of the concrete-pictorial-abstract (C-P-A) approach, from Bruner’s enactive-iconic-symbolic modes of representations, giving our students a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. We use White Rose resources to ensuring lessons build on one another in a clear, logical progression and problem solving and reasoning skills are mastered. Through this scheme, carefully planned opportunities for the use of concrete (physical, tangible objects such as toys, fruit, pencils and counters) and Pictorial resources (pictures, diagrams, bar model, charts) are embedded throughout. Naturally, this links onto the abstract (numerals and symbols) to represent and calculate mathematics problems.

Basis for the 2014 National Curriculum For Maths

Teaching maths for mastery is a key plank of the Government’s education reforms and is reflected in the 2014 English national curriculum for mathematics. The NCETM, Department for Education and OFSTED have all endorsed this evidence-based approach which is a key part of the work within the Maths Hubs Programme.

Pre-Teaching

Every child can do maths, but sometimes more time is needed to consolidate the knowledge or precision teaching is needed. In a circumstance where a pupil needs some additional help, the pupil will be worked with prior to a lesson to make sure that they are fully prepared for the small-step concept which is about to be taught. This takes the form of a small group working with a teacher which has been identified through pre-block assessments and/or assessment of daily work. The pupil will then  participate in the lesson and will be a focus child during that particular lesson. After the lesson, the children will review their learning with the teacher to see if any more time is needed to address any gaps.