Ethos

Skilled in teamwork, self-reflection & self-regulation, hard work, creativity, leadership and oracy, students are being educated to value themselves, be ambitious and versatile to rise to the challenges of the future and make it their own.  As The Hazeley Academy prepares all students for life in the Twenty-First Century, Mathematics enhances this, nurturing students to be successful, numeric minded people who can be productive members of society and have a wider world understanding of how Maths is needed beyond school. 

Intent

With its requirement for students to face the unexpected and to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar contexts, throughout their Maths education, students are taught the building blocks, they will need to be successful. The focus evolves from having the skills to simply answer questions, to justifying and showing a deeper understanding, to application in different contexts.  Relevance to real life, is essential to enthusing students to understand the importance of studying Maths for their future.  A GCSE qualification is the not the end point, but essential for a successful life, and the beginning of lifelong learning. 

Maths lessons at The Hazeley Academy develop the essentials of numeracy, strengthening skills and attitudes needed to apply number and data to make good decisions at work and home.   Employers are known to value mathematical skills even for non-numeric jobs.  An individual's application to problem solving, resilience and creativity are all key work-based skills.  Good grades in any subject, especially Maths, suggest someone is likely to be an active citizen and lifelong learner. 

Within all lessons, retrieval is central, providing students with opportunities to reflect on what they know or may need to build on or as a pre-requisite for upcoming concepts.  With a strong focus on problem solving and reasoning at GCSE, we make sure all students from Year 7 are familiar with problem solving.     

Problems that are presented in an unfamiliar context require students to carefully consider their approach and identify what skills they have in their ‘mathematical toolbox’ to be successful.  The process of solving problems, exploring multiple options, and learning inquiry also support depth of understanding. Creativity interweaves with the processes behind problem solving, and the need to think, then re-think the strategies to successfully solve the problem.   

In lessons teachers build on strategies to encourage self reflection and self regulation.  Classrooms foster a positive learning environment; a fear free space where students can share ideas.  Staff emphasise strengths of individuals and praise them accordingly.  This helps to build self esteem, which in turn positively affects self regulation. The routine and structure of Maths lessons fosters this self regulation further as confidence builds.  Practice is constantly shared within the Maths classroom.  Different approaches are encouraged to solve a problem.   

Depth of understanding is shown by students to convince teachers they know and can justify their thinking.  Whether alone or with their peers, learners are guided to reflect on work and identify on their next steps.  Students are encouraged to support one another with their learning. Mistakes are used as a learning opportunity at all levels and can provide a rich resource to build resilience and be reflective. 

Communication is essential to everything we do in life.  Mathematics offers a variety of avenues to develop students’ communication skills.  One such example is group work which supports the need for accurate communication.  Concurrently learners must be active listeners if they are to communicate well.  When students work together, they are more likely to be successful if they listen to each other so they can respond accordingly.  Students take turns in listening to their peers within the classroom.   

Teachers ask open ended questions to encourage responses at all levels.  Students are encouraged to use key mathematical vocabulary when they ‘talk maths’. 

Diversity & equality is valued highly in the Maths classroom and each student is treated as a unique individual.  Staff make sure that students feel they belong in the classroom. Students are open-minded and accept differences within the classroom, are patient and respectful of their peers.   

Teaching materials are carefully considered.  For example, exchange rates can bring in discussion on currencies around the world; Plans and Elevations can look at famous buildings from a different perspective.  Students experience some of the History of Maths, and how it has been life changing. 

We take aspects of the Maths Mastery approach, such as rich questioning, to enhance our teaching of learning for understanding and greater depth.  All of these facets promote resilience and require students to work hard to achieve the deep knowledge they need to be fluent and confident in Maths; to have the aspiration to succeed and take them into the world beyond education. 

We follow the White Rose Maths framework as a basis for our Scheme of Learning.  It meets both Ofsted and National Curriculum requirements (https://whiterosemaths.com/latest-news/wrm-curriculum-and-the-new-ofsted-framework ).  This ensures complete coverage.  It is written in such a way that it allows access for all, and means all students are challenged, building their resilience.   

Sequences of learning 

The end point of the scheme of learning is the preparation of students for the examinations they will take in Maths.  More importantly they must be numerate and able to apply Maths to their life beyond Year 11 and outside of the confines of a classroom, where relevant links are made with the curriculum and ‘real life’.  Maths is a universal language and can help students to gain an awareness of the world around them.  Hinterland offers experiences building on cultural capital, wider reading around topics and can stretch and challenge beyond the curriculum.  With a pass in GCSE Maths students can access whatever path they choose to follow beyond Year 11.    

The scheme of learning is planned for progression through repetition, self-reflection, and resilience. The links between skills are clear and emphasise Maths is not built of standalone concepts but building blocks that develop and extend knowledge.