Curriculum Intent

At Templars we understand that mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. Therefore, in teaching mathematics we are providing a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.  

Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between different representations of mathematical ideas. At Templars our programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. It is important that our children are also able to apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects, and therefore we work closely with subject leaders and teachers to help to bring learning to life. Given the foundational importance of many aspects of mathematics, we constantly strive to offer the chance for children to develop deep knowledge and apply this to a variety of worked examples, however we understand that it is important for those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material to consolidate their understanding before moving on.

Curriculum Implementation

At Templars, children study mathematics on a daily basis covering a broad and balanced curriculum including elements of number, calculation, geometry, measures and statistics. As with all of our subjects, maths lessons have three main teaching purposes; knowledge, fluency and depth. Across our school, the day begins with the Flashback 4 and Tough 10; arithmetic questions which recap learning from the previous day, week, month and year. Research has shown that spaced retrieval practice is a successful tool in moving knowledge from working memory to long term memory, setting children up to succeed in their school life and beyond. In line with the mastery approach, maths is taught through a variety of concrete, pictorial and abstract methods in order to build and develop schemas, promoting deep knowledge and understanding of the subject.  

We consistently provide opportunities for children to develop the ability to use their knowledge to develop a greater depth understanding to solve varied fluency problems as well as problem solving and reasoning questions. We use a range of resources throughout the school to ensure a curriculum that is specific to each child’s learning needs. Weekly class assessments provide healthy competition and help to develop a culture which encourages pride through personal achievement. From the 2019/20 academic year onwards, schools in England have been required to administer an online multiplication tables check (MTC) to Year 4 pupils. The purpose of the MTC is to determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. To support the children with their multiplication practice we use and promote ‘Times Table Rockstars’ as an online and fun learning platform which offers tailored times table development.