Maths

“Mistakes and challenges are the best time for your brain to grow.” Jo Boaler

Mathematics at Leiston Primary School

Intent – What do we want our children to learn?

At Leiston Primary School, our Maths curriculum is designed to equip children with the mathematical knowledge, skills and confidence they need for everyday life and future learning. We aim to develop fluent, confident and resilient mathematicians who can calculate, reason, solve problems and apply their understanding in a range of contexts.

We recognise that secure mathematical understanding is built through carefully sequenced learning, regular practice and opportunities to revisit and apply previously taught concepts. Through our Keep It Moving (KIM) approach, we place particular emphasis on the retention of mathematical knowledge, ensuring that children build on prior learning and develop the confidence to retrieve and use it independently.

Our goals are to:

Develop secure number sense, fluent recall of number facts and efficient calculation strategies.
Build deep conceptual understanding alongside mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Develop confident use of mathematical vocabulary to explain, justify and communicate mathematical thinking.
Ensure previously taught knowledge is regularly revisited, retrieved and retained through purposeful practice.
Encourage independence, resilience and a growth mindset, enabling children to embrace challenges and learn from mistakes.
Make meaningful connections between mathematical concepts, everyday life and other curriculum areas, particularly STEM subjects.

Through an engaging, inclusive and ambitious curriculum, we aim to foster curiosity, enjoyment and a lasting appreciation of mathematics, ensuring that all children see themselves as capable mathematicians.

Implementation – How are we going to achieve our intent?

Our Maths curriculum follows the White Rose Maths scheme, providing a carefully sequenced, mastery-based approach from Reception to Year 6. This is supported by consistent teaching approaches, purposeful use of resources and responsive assessment to ensure that all pupils develop secure mathematical understanding.

Teaching is underpinned by the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach, enabling children to explore mathematical concepts using manipulatives, visual representations and abstract methods. Resources such as bead strings, number lines, place value counters and other practical equipment are used purposefully to develop conceptual understanding and support independence.

Across the school, teachers use agreed instructional approaches, including 'I do, We do, You do', explicit modelling, Think Alouds and purposeful questioning to make mathematical thinking visible. Scaffolding is carefully matched to pupils' needs and gradually removed through strategies such as backwards fading, enabling children to become increasingly confident and independent.

A key feature of our implementation is KIM (Keep It Moving), our whole-school approach to retrieval practice and the retention of mathematical knowledge.

KIM activities provide short, purposeful opportunities for children to revisit previously taught concepts throughout the year. These are informed by assessment, including mathematical domain analysis, which identifies areas of strength, misconceptions and gaps in retained knowledge. Rather than waiting for concepts to reappear in the curriculum, teachers use KIM to revisit essential learning, strengthen fluency and help children make connections between mathematical concepts.

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is embedded throughout lessons. Teachers use questioning, observation, pupil responses and work scrutiny to identify misconceptions and adapt teaching accordingly. Where appropriate, targeted support and flexible grouping enable teaching to respond to pupils' specific starting points.

Adaptive teaching and inclusion are central to our approach. Pupils with SEND are supported through appropriate reasonable adjustments, explicit modelling, accessible manipulatives and scaffolding that promotes participation and independence. Provision is informed by individual learning needs and MLPs.

Pupils working at greater depth are provided with opportunities to deepen and extend their mathematical thinking through challenging reasoning and problem-solving activities, access to higher-year-group curriculum content where appropriate, and enrichment opportunities including the Primary Maths Challenge (PMC), UKMT competitions and an after-school Maths club led by high school teachers.

In Nursery and Reception, these principles are introduced through developmentally appropriate, practical, playful and language-rich experiences that build strong mathematical foundations.

The Mathematics Subject Leader supports consistency and continuous improvement through monitoring, professional development, instructional coaching and the sharing of effective practice across the school.

Impact – What will it look like when we achieve our intent?

The impact of our Maths curriculum will be reflected in children who are confident, fluent and increasingly independent mathematicians, with secure mathematical knowledge that they can retrieve, explain and apply across different contexts.

Through our consistent teaching approaches and the implementation of KIM, we aim for pupils to retain previously taught knowledge more securely, develop greater fluency and make meaningful connections between mathematical concepts.

We expect to see:

Secure knowledge and retention: Children confidently recall and apply previously taught mathematical concepts, supported by regular retrieval through KIM.
Fluency and understanding: Children demonstrate strong number sense, efficient calculation strategies and secure conceptual understanding.
Reasoning and problem-solving: Children explain their mathematical thinking, justify their answers and apply knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar problems.
Independence: Children increasingly select appropriate strategies and resources, with reduced reliance on adult support and scaffolding.
Inclusion and challenge: All pupils, including those with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those working at greater depth, are appropriately supported and challenged to make progress from their starting points.
Positive attitudes: Children demonstrate confidence, resilience, curiosity and enjoyment in mathematics.

The impact of teaching is evaluated through NTS assessments, statutory assessments, mathematical domain analysis, teacher assessment, work scrutiny, learning walks and pupil voice.

Particular attention is given to identifying what pupils have retained over time, where misconceptions remain and whether targeted teaching and KIM activities are helping to close gaps in knowledge.

The Mathematics Subject Leader uses this evidence to identify strengths, evaluate the effectiveness of teaching approaches and inform subsequent priorities for coaching, professional development and curriculum refinement.

A designated member of the governing body provides additional oversight and accountability.

Our ultimate measure of success is not simply what children can demonstrate at the end of a lesson, but what they remember, understand and can independently apply over time.