Mathematics
At Sulivan we believe that children should understand how mathematics is used in the world around them and how it will be applied in many areas of their daily life. Our carefully sequenced White Rose Mathematics curriculum provides all children with opportunities to develop a deep understanding of maths, as well as cultivating a love for the subject. We teach children the concepts, facts and procedures required for them to apply their knowledge confidently and fluently. This enables children to reason mathematically and solve a varied range of increasingly complex problem types, including real-world contexts.
How we teach maths
Our guiding principles for teaching mathematics at Sulivan are:
- Depth over Breadth: We prioritise depth of understanding over covering a wide range of topics.
- EYFS: Children develop a deep understanding of maths including number, pattern, and shape in an engaging and stimulating environment.
- Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA): Children engage with concrete materials, varied visual representations, and abstract symbols to build a robust understanding.
- Sequenced small Steps: Concepts are broken down into manageable and coherent steps, allowing students to master each one before progressing.
- Fluency, reasoning and problem-solving: Children demonstrate fluency in mathematical concepts and small steps before progressing. Their understanding is then challenged through problem-solving and reasoning. Teachers use worked examples and model their mathematical talk.
- Daily Practice: Regular practice reinforces learning. Our lessons include opportunities for retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and deliberate practice.
- Clear Explanations: Teachers provide clear explanations, systematic instruction and, modelling problem-solving strategies and techniques.
- Guided Practice: Students work collaboratively and receive guided practice to consolidate their understanding.
- Questioning: This is used throughout lessons to check understanding, and to stimulate mathematical thinking
- Retrieval: Used to activate the working memory, previous learning is recapped at the beginning of lessons
- Feedback: Timely and specific feedback helps students refine their skills.
- Reviews: Regular reviews ensures retention and long-term understanding.
We believe parental engagement is a key factor in pupils’ learning. Our parents are invited to a Stay and Calculate session each term, where they have the opportunity to learn maths alongside their child. We also hold parent workshops, focusing on key elements of the curriculum and calculation procedures so that parents can support their child at home.