DMS Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Overview 

Intent

At Dedworth Middle School we recognise that a good understanding of mathematics provides a solid foundation for understanding the world and how it impacts our everyday lives.

Our intent is for all pupils to acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject (Mastery).  In order to do this we aim for all pupils to:

• rapidly and accurately recall and apply facts and concepts

• develop a growing confidence to reason mathematically

• be able to solve problems by applying their mathematical skills to a variety of problems with increasing sophistication, including unfamiliar and real-life scenarios

As a rule, we follow the White Rose approach to Mastery In order to achieve ‘mastery’ for all, adapting it where necessary to better meet the learning needs of the pupils at Dedworth Middle School. Thus, more time is spent teaching key topics but in greater depth, allowing pupils to have stronger foundations before they move to Upper School. 

Furthermore, we recognise that in present times extra challenges have emerged – namely the potential gaps in learning created by Covid. Our intent is to identify these gaps as early as possible through both formative and summative assessment so that the pupils gain the necessary basic skills to be able to move confidently on to other concepts. To this end our intent is to use recap and recall in every lesson.

Implementation

Our implementation is delivered through secure understanding of the curriculum and subject knowledge.

Teaching and Learning, Content and Sequence

- Our long-term and medium-term planning follows the White Rose Scheme with the flexibility to adapt it where necessary.

- By adopting this approach, we believe that we provide a bespoke teaching

and learning experience that is designed to interest, inform and inspire our children.

- Using prior knowledge as a starting point for all future planning and teaching, we plan lessons which provide the opportunity for all pupils to make good progress.

- Lessons are engaging and follow a cycle of planning, including recap and recall, to ensure that we embed prior learning and can evidence progress over short and long periods of time.

- Maths lessons are designed with a concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) approach, providing our pupils with the scaffolding required to access the learning at all levels.

- TTRockstars is used as a fun and interactive way of boosting pupils’ knowledge and fluency of the times tables.

- We place a large emphasis on pupil engagement and design lessons which involve all pupils using questioning and modelling at the centre of every lesson.

- To encourage pupil participation and develop their mastery open questions are used, such as:

• • Explain why ...
  • How do you know ...?
  • Does anyone know ...?
  • What will happen if ...?
  • How will you know ...?
  • How can we find out ...?
  • Can you describe ...?
  • Convince me ...
  • Is there another way ...?
  • What makes you think that ...?

Leadership, Assessment and Feedback

- Assessment informs the teaching and learning sequence, and children work on the objectives they are assessed as being at.

- Children who not making the required progress are given extra support through booster sessions and support in class in order to meet our INTENT of developing pupils academically.

- Feedback is given on children’s learning in line with our feedback policy. Formative assessment within every lesson helps teachers to identify the children who need more support to achieve the intended outcome and who are ready for greater stretch and challenge through planned questioning or additional activities.

- In order to support teacher judgments, children are assessed using current and

reliable tests in line with the national curriculum for maths.

- Analysis of any tests that the children complete (QLAs) is undertaken and fed into future planning. Summative assessments are completed at the end of the academic year and help influence the overall judgement reported to parents in the end of year report.

- The maths leaders have a clear role and overall responsibility for the progress of all children in maths throughout school. Working with SLT, key data is analysed and regular feedback is provided and discussed at pupil progress meetings to inform on progress and future actions.

Impact

By the end of KS3 we aim for:

- Children to be fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics with a conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. 

- They should have the skills to solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of situations with increasing sophistication, including in unfamiliar contexts and to model real-life scenarios. 

- Children will be able to reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry and develop and present a justification, argument or proof using mathematical language.