At the Forest Edge Learning Federation, we aim to ensure that all pupils: 

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately. 

• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language. 

• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions. 

We adopt a teaching for mastery approach which involves all children (where possible) working together and progressing at the same rate. Teachers track each child’s movement towards mastery to ensure children are fully grasping topics before moving onto new material. Regular assessment means teachers can be confident the class as a whole is ready to learn a new topic. Children of different abilities are given different levels of support and different resources to help them achieve mastery and consolidate knowledge. Pre-teaching is used as a method of intervention to ensure children who are at risk of falling behind are ready to progress onto new content. Maths Meetings are a vital part of our Mathematics curriculum. Their purpose is to consolidate key areas of mathematics or introduce new topics. Maths Meetings occur daily for 10–15 minutes and cover several curricular areas. Children at the Forest Edge Learning Federation become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics through varied and frequent calculation practice. Calculations occur 2-3 times a week in addition to the daily Mathematics lesson. They focus on recall and method efficiency. Fluency allows pupils to delve much deeper and tackle more complex problems with greater confidence and resilience.

At the Forest Edge Learning Federation, we follow the White Rose Schemes of Learning which break the learning down into small steps. This is complemented by the Maths No Problem textbooks and workbooks which are used as a resource to support teaching for mastery. Other teaching and learning resources include NRICH and the NCETM mastery materials . Our concrete representations make use of the range of manipulatives and practical apparatus. These are accessible and used to help pupils make sense of the mathematics for themselves. Learning programmes such as Mathletics and TTRockstars are used to help children consolidate knowledge and understanding and become fluent in the recall of facts. We believe that the resources we use enrich and enhance the experience of the mathematics curriculum for all learners.

Our approach focusses on the following Five Big Ideas of Mastery: Coherence, Mathematical Thinking, Fluency, Variation, Representation and Structure. Learning is broken down into small steps. Explicitly connecting new ideas to concepts that have already been understood and carefully planning the order of learning to facilitate this. Pupils work on ideas to develop deep understanding rather than passively receiving them.  They are taught to reason and discuss.  This includes using mathematical terminology and notation as soon as it is relevant. There is heavy focus on quick and efficient recall of facts and the ability to use them in different contexts in Mathematics. Varying the way a concept is presented to a pupil and varying practice questions so that mechanical repetition is avoided.  This includes the use of different methods and misconceptions. Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract representations expose pupils to the mathematical structure so they truly understand why mathematical algorithms work and can therefore adapt to different scenarios.

We regularly monitor and assess our children to ensure they are making good progress in maths, and give support to any children falling behind.  Our children leave us being able to calculate and solve problems confidently.