Intent and Vision for Maths Learning at Shap Primary School

At Shap School, we believe that all children are mathematicians.

We want our children to be confident and positive mathematicians and we aim to develop a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We provide a maths curriculum that stimulates, challenges and explores links with the wider world and equips children with skills for life. To achieve this, we use a mastery approach in the teaching and learning of maths. Mastery is achieved through exploration, clarification, practice and application over time. A mathematical concept or skill has been mastered when a child can represent it in multiple ways, has the mathematical language to communicate related ideas and can independently apply the concept to new problems in unfamiliar contexts. At each stage of learning, children are encouraged to develop a deep, conceptual and sophisticated understanding of the topic that they build on as they move up through the school or at the appropriate stage; building solid foundations from which children can soar in maths.

Ofsted (July 2019) recognised:

'The improvements leaders have made to the teaching of mathematics are evident in the work pupils produce. Most pupils across the school are now making strong progress in mathematics. They apply their skills well to solve a range of problems, and use their developing reasoning skills to explain the methods they used to arrive at their answers. Pupils sometimes practise their mathematical skills in other subjects, especially in science. '

ACADEMIC YEAR 2021-2022

3 children from Helvellyn class, attended a maths challenge competition day at Morland Village Hall. The event was attended by many different schools and the children were put into mixed teams. They were given a series of mathematical challenges that they had to complete to score points. Each team was helped by a Year 7 child from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, so the children could learn about different maths concepts whilst completing the challenges.

1 Helvellyn child enjoyed learning about triangular numbers, another enjoyed the logic problems and the third said she enjoyed the variety of activities they had to complete; she said "it didn't feel like a whole day" because she was having so much fun! All three children loved meeting children from different schools and having to work as a team to gain points.

Miss Gorst reported that all three children were a credit to Shap CE School, taking part in every activity, collaborating well with children they didn't know and showing off their fantastic maths skills - Well done to our Helvellyn children!

Subtracting fractions using bar models - May 2021

Some of the Y5 children have been subtracting fractions using bar models - made from cubes. We needed to change the fractions so they had the same denominator, then used our bars to subtract effectively. 

ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020

Penrith Hub Maths Competition

The Penrith Maths Hub, which we are a part of, organised a maths competition for all ages. Children had the challenge of showing examples of maths that they see every day in the real world. Our winners for each group were Matthew, Luca, Oscar and Megan.

The winning entries will be displayed at Penrith Library if you have time to pop in and have a look!

ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019

INTERSCHOOL PRIMARY MATHS CHAMPIONS 2019 

Four of our Year 6 children took part in a primary school maths competition earlier this week, and were crowned 'champions'. They were asked lots of questions about all aspects of maths, including famous mathematicians! Each member of the team was awarded a certificate and a scientific calculator. A wonderful effort!

Mathematics Morning

We held a Maths Morning on 30th January 2019, where we welcomed family and friends into school, to come and see us being mathematicians. Adults had a chance to watch maths activities, learn different calculation methods, speak to teachers and children about their learning, play games and even have a go at some challenges themselves! 

Feedback

• Positive, reassuring, very helpful, thank you.
• Love that learning is done in a playful way that the children enjoy
• Enjoyed learning numbers with the younger ones!
• Great morning! Lots of new games to play at home.
• Had a lovely morning, felt the kids really enjoyed showing adults their work.
• Fantastic range of different ways the children learn. Great to see them supporting peers and enjoying maths! 
• Really interesting morning. Happy children who were not phased by adults.

Focus on Maths - A 5-week course for parents

Following the success of our recent Mathematics Morning in school, we offered a 5-week course for parents, carers and grandparents of children in Y1 and Y2. The adults could explore games and activities to help their children develop their maths skills, whilst having fun. They also looked at different calculation methods to build their own confidence when supporting their child with homework. The children could also attend the final part of the session each week.