Mathematics

September 2020 – 2021

Mathematics at Venturers’ Academy

Intent:

Our core aim is to provide opportunities for every student to develop the mathematical skills and knowledge to allow them to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Whilst the main focus will be on acquiring a deep understanding of numeracy, every effort will be made to ensure that each child gains a qualification which is aspirational and provides a gateway into a vocation, further education or developing their independence within the wider community.

Rather than using a pre-published scheme of work, we have  drawn on reasearch and best practice from multiple sources, as well as tried and tested pedagogical approaches (including those used for students with dyscalculia).  This research based approach to the maths’ curriculum informs each learning pathway - both  lifeskills and academic.

The principles that have underpinned and shaped our mathematics curriculum are:

  • Schemes of work provide an outline of what to teach and when, together with suggested methods.  However, due to the multiple complex barriers to learning, which many children with autism have, teachers are adaptive in their use of these schemes and utilise information and research to inform their teaching.
  • The overall aim is to enable students to be able to store and accurately recall information through ‘automaticity’ (where things that are learnt become an automatic response pattern or habit, usually the result of learning, repetition, and practice).  For example, the concrete knowledge that 4 + 3 = 7, or the ability to deploy efficient strategies, such as ‘near doubles’ (e.g. 4+5 is very close to 4+4 and students can easily recall that the ‘double fact’ for 4+4=8 and by adding one more, they quickly know that 4+5=9).

    These strategies help to avoid ‘cognitive overload’ as the student is not relying on holding and manipulating too much information in their working memory.

  • There is an emphasis on retrieval of number facts by planning opportunities to revisit prior learning at regular intervals, and ensuring that this has been committed to the long-term memory. As alluded to above, this is achieved by focusing on numeracy which underpins all areas of mathematics.
  • The structure for each newly introduced topic will be based on Sharma’s ‘Six Levels of Knowing’:
  1. Intuitive: new material is an extension of something the student has already mastered.
  2. Concrete: utilising practical apparatus to support the learning of new information. This approach provides the learner with a physical resource to explain how something works, so that they can recall this image or idea at a later stage. It also has the added bonus of being multisensory.
  3. Pictorial: diagrams or pictures to support learning. For example, a bar model.
  4. Abstract: this is the stage that many people will recognise from their own maths’ education i.e. calculations written on a page.
  5. Application: the learner would be expected to apply what they have learnt. This might be in the form of a word problem.
  6. Communication: this plays an important part in all of the levels of ‘knowing’. The overall aim is for the student to be able to reason effectively, using mathematical language, and link what they know to other areas of the maths’ curriculum.

Implementation:

We have used the ‘White Rose’ mathematics scheme to support curriculum development.  This will support students as they develop mastery, which will involve practise and checking of understanding through tasks, and assessment.  

White Rose end-of-topic assessments will be used following completion of each unit of work, but with enough time in between to ensure that the knowledge has been moved to students’ long-term memory. These assessments can then be used to identify where a child has not mastered a topic and to enable the teacher to plan and deliver booster sessions.

Alongside this, there will be a continued emphasis on verbal reasoning with expansive mathematical vocabulary.

Impact:

(i) Monitoring Progress

Assessments

After the initial baselining of students, progress will be monitored through both end of unit assessments, and  assessed on a regular basis to ensure progress against challenging targets.

(ii) Outcomes

As appropriate, students are entered for the Key Stage 2 national curriculum assessments and for appropriate qualifications including ASDAN, AQA Unit awards, Functional Skills and GCSE.

(1) Academic

  1. Year 1 to Year 6

All children will be taught using a mastery approach whereby the emphasis is on understanding as opposed to a reliance on memory. We use White Rose as a framework but then adapt as necessary to meet the needs of the students.

 

Long term goal of mathematics teaching:

  • Development of deep structural knowledge and the ability to make connections.
  • Ensure what is learnt is sustained over time.
  • Reduce the time required to assimilate and master concepts and techniques.
    1. Year 7 to Year 11

Where possible, all children will be taught KS3 topics upon entering Year 7. Again, the framework is taken from White Rose and is therefore a continuation of the mastery approach studied at KS1 and KS2. The long term goals listed above remain a common thread throughout the upper part of the school, with the added objective of ensuring that each student gains a qualification that is aspirational to them.

 

(2) Sensory

 

(2.1)   EYFS

To keep things consistent across the school EYFS maths also takes elements from White Rose. However, due to the needs of the children, EYFS maths is not taught in a traditional way and tends to be more free flow. The class teacher observes the childrens’ engagement in maths’ activities and then records their progress in a learning journal.

 

(2.2)  Lifeskills

Lifeskills’ maths is comprised of the numeracy, money and time components of the National Curriculum (Year 1 to Year 3) and again uses White Rose as a framework. The wider curriculum is to be delivered via Asdan qualifications but there will be an option to obtain an Entry Level Certificate for those that are capable. The overall emphasis is on embedding mathematical skills by practising in real life contexts, wherever possible.

 

(3) Baselining and Intervention

The aim is to accurately assess where the children are, academically, upon entering the school. The bulk of children have been/will be assessed using one of two Sandwell Numeracy Tests:

  1. Sandwell Early Numeracy Test (3 years 4 months to 8 years 10 months)
  2. Sandwell Early Numeracy Test (age 4 to 11 years 1 month)

 

Baselining each child allows us to determine where they should be working on a daily basis but also serves as a tool to measure progress over time.

 

(3.1) Wave 2

If a child is falling behind, and quality first teaching isn’t an issue, they will be able to access a small group intervention designed to keep them ‘in touch’ with the rest of the class. This is labelled as ‘catch-up group’ on the curriculum sequencing documents.

 

(3.2) Wave 3

If a child still isn’t making progress and it is felt that there are fundamental problems they will be given the opportunity for targeted 1:1 intervention using Dynamo Maths. The assessment is designed to provide a profile for each learner with an emphasis on those areas commonly associated with mathematical difficulties i.e. dyscalculia. Dynamo Maths then produces a sequence of sessions to target those gaps. The aim of intervention is to address fundamental knowledge gaps with the hope that children will then begin to experience more success in their everyday maths’ lessons, thus avoiding big attainment gaps between them and their peers.

Primary

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Nursery and Reception classes, students are given every opportunity to experience numbers, through stories, song and through the formal teaching of the mathematics. Students experience counting with concrete manipulatives before drawing the sum and then solving the mathematical equation. The lesson is split into 6 parts and includes a talk task as well as a written task. They are encouraged to talk in sentences using specific mathematical vocabulary. Students are assessed through the early learning outcomes which have a number strand.

Years 1 and 2

In Years 1 and 2 students all follow the Mathematic scheme of work. The six part lesson is a structure developed to maximize learning. Concrete manipulatives are used to reinforce mathematical reasoning. Children move from dealing with concrete manipulatives (Dienes and cubes etc.) to drawing the sum and then writing the equation. Students are tested at the end of Year 2. There is also a maths meeting which takes place for 15 minutes outside of the maths lesson. This reinforces basic maths principles in a very quick fire manner.

Years 3 to 6

In Years 3 to 6, Mathematics National Curriculum is followed. Students are tested in Year 6 (SATs) in arithmetic and reasoning. Higher ability students are chosen to take part in competitive maths challenges with other schools. There is also a maths meeting for students which takes place for 15 minutes outside of their maths lesson. This reinforces basic maths principles in a very quick fire manner.

Years 7, 8 and 9

Years 7 to 9 are key to building strong foundations of the fundamental mathematical concepts upon which success at GCSE and potentially A level courses are based. These are divided into six main areas; number, algebra, ratio proportion & rates of change, geometry & measures, probability and statistics. The syllabus for Years 7 and 8 has been developed jointly with over 66 academies to ensure for the most effective teaching. The end of term assessments alternate between past Year 9 mathematics SATs questions and papers in the style of the new GCSE. This gives both students and teachers the chance to precisely gauge their progress against their target grades, as well as preparing the students for higher stages of their mathematics education.

There are several events organised for students throughout the year. These include activities such as Rock Assembly, where Year 7 are taken off timetable for a day of discovering the mathematics behind designing a rock concert, taking part in the UK Mathematics Challenge and rich tasks at the end of each term to develop their higher level thinking skills.

The Mathematics faculty provides intervention and support for those pupils who are falling behind their target grades, through in class support and intervention groups so that pupils can quickly catch up on fundamental concepts that they have not yet grasped. The students can also improve their mathematical skills from home by using www.mymaths.co.uk, taking part in the challenges on www.sumdog.com and practising their times tables on www.ttrockstars.com.