The Linden Academy follows the National Curriculum for Mathematics. From Year 1 to Year 6, we follow the Essential Maths programme from Herts For Learning. This describes in detail what pupils must learn in each year group. This allows children to embed and master the maths curriculum building on small steps of knowledge and skills, resulting in strong progress in their maths learning. This is not a scheme of work that allows lots of flexibility in reacting to the children's needs and delivering learning that is relevant to the children in our school.

The school has developed a mastery approach to Mathematics using resources from Herts for Learning – Essential Maths to support teachers in delivering this approach. The Linden Academy is part of the Maths Hub Mastery workgroup. This gives the school the opportunity to receive support from a mastery specialist teacher as well as the opportunity to share good practice with other schools in the workgroup.

The School’s Curriculum Drivers:

• Understanding our place in the world
• Aspiring to achieve
• Broadening horizons

As part of the mastery approach, a positive teacher mind-set and strong subject knowledge are key to student success in Mathematics. The school is committed to providing a purposeful and empowering mathematics curriculum. It is not the case that some pupils can do Mathematics and others cannot; no pupil should be left behind, and the focus is keeping up over catching up. By making high expectations clear and emphasising the value of mathematics education, pupils are encouraged to build confidence, resilience and aspire to achieve. Abilities are neither fixed nor innate, but can be developed through practice, support, dedication and hard work. Natural talent is just a starting point and does not determine who has more or less potential to achieve. This way, pupils at the school are broadening their horizons with a Mathematics curriculum that fully prepares learners for their next steps in their school career and opens doors to understanding their place and the place of Mathematics in the wider world, regardless of a child’s background and ability.

A positive teacher mind-set in mathematics encourages a love of learning and resilience that enables everyone to achieve. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils are given the opportunity to achieve mastery in the key concepts of Mathematics, appropriate for their age group, in order that they make genuine progress and avoid gaps in their understanding that provide barriers to learning as they move through education. Assessment for Learning, an emphasis on investigation, cross-curricular mathematics, problem-solving and the development of mathematical thinking and a rigorous approach to the development of teacher subject knowledge, are therefore essential components of The Linden Academy’s approach to this subject.

The school’s curriculum concepts (influence, belonging and choice) are woven through mathematics to provide a wider context for learning through an interconnected narrative. Mathematics equips all pupils with a uniquely powerful set of tools to understand and change the world (the concept of influence). These set of tools include logical reasoning, problem-solving skills and the ability to think in abstract ways (the concept of choice). Pupils learn the concept of ‘belonging’ by exposure to where mathematics can take them in society within the wider world.

Subject Aims

Mathematics is important in everyday life. It is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind, at The Linden Academy, we endeavour to ensure that children develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their lives. It is vital that a positive attitude towards mathematics is encouraged amongst all of our pupils in order to foster confidence and achievement in a skill that is essential in our society.

We aim to provide pupils with a Mathematics curriculum and high-quality teaching to produce individuals who are numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. We also aim to provide a stimulating environment through the use of real-life contexts and adequate resources so that pupils can develop their Mathematical skills to the full.

Subject Content

Our pupils should:

• Have a well-developed sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system.
• Know by heart, age appropriate number facts such as number bonds, multiplication tables, doubles and halves.
• Use what they know by heart, to figure out numbers mentally.
• Calculate accurately and efficiently, both mentally and on writing and paper, drawing on a range of calculation strategies.
• Recognise when it is appropriate to use a calculator and be able to do so effectively.
• Make sense of a number of problems, including non-routine/’real’ problems, and identify the operations needed to solve them.
• Explain their methods and reasoning, using correct mathematical terms.
• Judge whether their answers are reasonable and have strategies for checking them where necessary.
• Suggest suitable units for measuring and making sensible estimates of measurements.
• Explain and make predictions from the numbers in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables.
• Develop spatial awareness and an understanding of the properties of 2d and 3d shapes.

Focused on the key concepts of belonging, choice and influence, and supported by the study of significant people and rich stories, the school’s Mathematics curriculum is designed to help pupils develop their sense of self, their aspirations for the future and thereby authentic, individual outcomes. Children are fascinated by people and their stories; the study of significant people brings the key concepts to life.

Key Stage Two students study a significant mathematical profession and discover the story of how the particular Mathematician attained their career. EYFS and Key Stage One staff enhance children's Mathematical thinking and introduce foundational key concepts such as numbers, shapes, patterns, and measurement through the use of books with mathematical concepts woven into the pictures and storylines.