Maths Mastery at South Milford

What does mastery mean at South Milford?

We use a mastery approach to teaching and learning maths. Mastery means the children achieve an excellent level of fluency in calculation and a deep level of understanding of mathematical concepts, such that they can apply and connect mathematical ideas to a wide range of problems and puzzles. Mastery particularly means deep understanding of maths concepts, with an emphasis on the underlying structures of mathematics. 

Growth mindset and high expectations 

Maths Mastery

We use the White Rose schemes of work supported by materials from the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM), Primary Stars (KS1) and Deepening Understanding (KS2). Our teaching puts these objectives into a coherent sequence and provides lots of examples of fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions that exemplify what those objectives look like in a broad range of contexts.

Update WRM calculation policies to these:

Addition and Subtraction: https://assets.whiterosemaths.com/new-schemes/wrm-addition-subtraction-calculation-policy-july-2022.pdf 

Multiplication and Division: https://assets.whiterosemaths.com/new-schemes/Multiplication%20and%20Division%20calculation%20policy%20July%202022.pdf

We take our time to master the key concepts 

Our schemes start with the most important maths ideas and knowledge and then build securely on them. For example, what is the point of studying fractions before we truly understand multiplication and division. We take our time to allow each child to achieve depth and breadth of understanding.

Mastery Teaching and Learning 

We try our best to use the following: 

CPA – concrete, pictorial, abstract progression. Using a consistent range of real life objects and ways to show maths ideas is very important for young children all through a primary school to understand maths. When children can see how maths works via objects and diagrams and how these are linked to key words and numerals, they achieve deeper understanding. 

You should expect your children to explore and understand maths using a range of materials like Numicon, cubes, two sided counters, tens frames, Dienes equipment and place value counters. 

Pictorial methods are also really important and we use East Asian methods such as bar models, part / whole ideas extensively.