We are guided by four underlying principles:
Success in mathematics often seems to be used as an indicator of ‘innate’ intelligence, rather than something that everyone can achieve with effort. We believe that every child can learn mathematics, given the appropriate learning experiences within and beyond the classroom. We therefore have a responsibility to map our curriculum to enable every child to succeed.
Our curriculum map reflects our high expectations for every child. Every pupil is entitled to master the key mathematical content for their age. Every pupil must receive the support and challenge they need. We believe that this personalisation can be achieved with all pupils learning the same concepts and skills.
The second thing we agree on is the importance of deep progress. National Curriculum level descriptors have led us to equate progress with knowing new procedures and rules. Many pupils build a superficial knowledge of a large number of techniques, but find that at GCSE or beyond that they lack the depth of understanding to be able to use these skills. We focus on fewer key concepts in each term, putting depth before breadth, and pupils demonstrate progress by making connections between representations, then applying them within and beyond the curriculum. The curriculum is cumulative. We sequence the concepts and methods so that previously learnt ideas can be connected to new learning. This supports pupils in understanding the coherent and connected nature of the subject, and ensures they consolidate learning by continually using and applying it in a variety of contexts.