Maths

At Highgate, we aim for pupils to develop a mastery of maths by allowing them to develop a long, deep and secure understanding of mathematical concepts. This understanding of maths will enable our pupils to succeed by giving them the skills for later in their lives, including money, measures and logical problems which they will need as adults. It will also inspire many of them to study maths further in their careers.

We do this by:

  • Taking small, manageable steps each lesson to help pupils access more difficult concepts.
  • Exposing pupils to a variety of representations for different areas of maths
  • Helping pupils make connections, spot patterns and ask questions.
  • Encouraging pupils to be clear in their reasoning about mathematics through self-explanations and written reasoning, using key vocabulary.
  • Be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, such as number bonds and times tables.

We follow the NCETM curriculum prioritisation scheme, which is based around helping pupils understand the ready-to-progress criteria in depth. We also use Mastering Number in EYFS-Y2 as additional mathematic sessions to ensure fluency and automaticity in number facts. In KS2 we follow a programme called Number Sense that explicitly teaches children their multiplication and division facts.

Teaching strategies

  • Children are encouraged to discuss the maths and notice patterns with the teacher during the lesson.
  • Pupils practice their fluency
  • Children are encouraged to use manipulatives wherever possible to cement their understanding of the ‘concrete-pictorial-abstract’. These are accessible in every classroom.
  • There is a great focus on becoming confident and fluent at times tables by the end of Year 4. This is practised through daily activities and regular testing through the TT Rockstars programme.

Here is an overview of teaching:

NCETM Overview