Maths

At Boston Pioneers Academy, we believe that all learners should be able to access and engage with a high-quality maths curriculum.  We aim to do this by: 

• Providing a curriculum that is broken down into small steps that builds upon knowledge gained in current and previous year groups. 
• Allowing learners to develop their fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills through a range of carefully planned activities and questioning. 

• Providing opportunities for our learners to understand the purpose and application of maths in the world in which they live. 
• Developing an understanding of new concepts through the use of concrete apparatus and pictorial representations, prior to working in the abstract. 
• Allowing learners, the opportunity to work with their peers to help develop their mathematical thinking and language (maths talk). 
• Identifying gaps in learner’s understanding and intervening with high quality intervention at the earliest opportunity. 

Through our maths teaching, we aim to develop independent, reflective thinkers, whose skills in mathematics will also support them across the curriculum and beyond by ‘making maths meaningful’.  Maths is integral to all aspects of life and, with this in mind; we endeavour to ensure that our learners develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards Mathematics that will stay with them into secondary school and beyond.

Maths Implementation 

All strands of the maths curriculum are inter-woven using a spiral curriculum to help learners make connections over time which creates more robust pathways for recalling and retaining information. Most strands of mathematics are covered at least twice during the academic year and alongside this, we teach reasoning and problem solving integrally as part of every step. This gives us the time to teach each topic in depth, yet also allows for opportunities to revisit any aspects of maths identified as requiring additional focus.  We have found that a small-stepped approach leads to better long-term retention of facts, skills, and concepts.  Through assessment for learning, we identify the starting points for each of our learners on these pathways and differentiate the maths curriculum in order to ensure that all learners progress and achieve.   

To raise the profile of maths across the Academy and develop learner’s understanding of the significance of maths in real-life, we place emphasis on authentic application making reference to career opportunities that require the mathematical concept being developed.  In addition to this, we have our own Academy currency (linked to our rewards system) and an Academy bank and shop, so that learners from the earliest age can develop an understanding of both spending and saving (early money management).