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15/02/25

After using Twitter/X for many years, we have decided move away. Come join us on instagram to continue to keep up to date with all things HA! See you there!

13/02/25

Successful end of term art project for year six: children planned, designed and built these amazing Memories Boxes linked to our Oval history topic and our belonging driver. pic.twitter.com/n9kmoqMctV

12/02/25

Year six loved their visit from Steel today and asked some brilliant questions!#pshe pic.twitter.com/SVSTN0xR3p

12/02/25

We loved our visit from Steel today, learning all about resilience and the importance of sleep, healthy diet, being active, hydration and showing gratitude (noticing glimmers). Can anyone beat Steel’s record of 757 burpees nonstop in under an hour?#pshe pic.twitter.com/FLHRxZ2Lkq

12/02/25

As part of Safer Internet Day, year 2 explored a variety of dangers online and discussed how to respond to them. They had some excellent ideas and good knowledge of the safety features of various apps. They created posters to teach younger children about what they had learnt. pic.twitter.com/dWyOSidsdH

12/02/25

Amazing messages being given to the children this morning by the amazing gladiator Steel! What a fantastic morning we have ahead pic.twitter.com/Y0WFDxF1nL

11/02/25

Year six scientists dissecting hearts to understand how the circulatory system works. pic.twitter.com/ewcfvsfMRX

11/02/25

Year six scientists dissecting hearts to understand how the circulatory system works. pic.twitter.com/Dz7qWkgTL8

11/02/25

Year six home learning designing posters for around school about how to keep safe online. pic.twitter.com/eya9mmpF4M

11/02/25

Year six historians exploring the Oval as part of their local history project, with an added extra of a tag rugby PE lesson! pic.twitter.com/iabdKAYvHI

11/02/25

Year six historians exploring the Oval as part of their local history project, with an added extra of a tag rugby PE lesson! pic.twitter.com/gRFv2OAoT6

11/02/25

Team Dahl had a great science lesson on space and the stars with Mark the scientist yesterday (2).#science pic.twitter.com/FrJSAI3V1t

11/02/25

Team Dahl had a great science lesson on space and the stars with Mark the scientist yesterday (1).#science pic.twitter.com/K62hUgwN7y

11/02/25

Marking Safer Internet Day with a visit from the charity Computer Friendly pic.twitter.com/NuuQv4ROU2

10/02/25

Year 3 had a visit from Hands on Science and took part in a workshop on biological diversity. pic.twitter.com/RoqPJoSdUj

07/02/25

This week in assembly we celebrated Martin Luther King day, reading about this inspiring activist who devoted his life to fighting for civil rights. We linked to other activists such as Nelson Mandela, Greta Thunberg, Malala and Rosa Parks; and to our value of respect. pic.twitter.com/TKQlLAdduw

07/02/25

A huge thank you to all the adults who came to visit us today to explain how their job uses maths. pic.twitter.com/nNu8EdPIvU

07/02/25

Ladybirds have had a fantastic ! We have loved hearing about jobs that use numbers and dressing up! We are so inspired. We also made foot rulers to measure things in the classroom. pic.twitter.com/sfwifgPkd4

07/02/25

Our fourth visitor of the day was Tendaii, a train and air engineer. Our Y6’s were fascinated by his models and recognised how scale factors work in producing drafts of projects. pic.twitter.com/QmOElYN5WQ

07/02/25

Our third visitor of the day was Matt who works in the sports field. He explained to our Y6’s how fractions, decimals and percentages play a part in making predictions about different sporting events. pic.twitter.com/Js9gcUBH3m

07/02/25

Our second visitor of the day was Business Analyst Andreii who spoke to our Y6’s about how algebra and coding is used in his IT role. pic.twitter.com/g7qgZWX25k

07/02/25

Our first visitor of the day was Nurse Helen who works at treating cancer patients. Our Y6’s enjoyed learning about why measuring is particularly crucial in this field. pic.twitter.com/IG2nvg7xEC

07/02/25

Happy Number Day from Year 3! pic.twitter.com/bS3fxp7e8P

06/02/25

Aren’t we lucky to have such lovely, kind parents in our Year 1 class? We are so appreciative of these yummy sweet treats! pic.twitter.com/IEp8f6rkyO

04/02/25

Lunar new year celebrations last week pic.twitter.com/GAQmtKUjeU

Back to Subjects Menu

Mathematics

Purpose and Aims

"The leadership of English and mathematics is strong. Leaders have excellent knowledge and understanding of these subjects. They have taken a wide range of suitable actions that have had a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching and outcomes in the school." 

Ofsted School Report, June 2019

Purpose

Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. It allows children to gain resilience and develop a range of strategies to solve problems set before them, drawing on previous knowledge and applying this knowledge to support solving a range of problems.

Aims

We are committed to supporting all children at Harpenden Academy:

  • To develop a love of maths and an understanding that everyone can be successful in maths.
  • To 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.
  • To reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
  • To 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. Pupils are able to see connections between mathematical concepts to support their problem solving and can verbalise these findings.

Harpenden Academy Maths Curriculum

At Harpenden Academy, we follow a mastery approach in the teaching and learning of mathematics, which is inspired by teaching practices in South Asia. We use the White Rose Maths scheme.

Maths Whie rose

The principles underpinning mastery:

  • Go slow to go fast- concepts are built in small, logical steps and are explored through clear mathematical models and images
  • Go deep to build firm foundations- depth is simplicity, not complexity, so it is accessible for all
  • Whole class teaching- to maximise teaching input with adaptive teaching to meet the needs of all children

In order to develop mastery in mathematics, children at Harpenden Academy are taught in a way that enables them to develop fluency, which they are then able to apply to reason and problem solve.

Fluency in mathematics is about developing number sense and being able to choose the most appropriate method for the task at hand. If children are fluent, they should be able to apply a skill to multiple contexts. Fluency is developed through the concrete, pictorial, abstract approach.

Elise1

At Harpenden Academy, children take part in Early Bird Maths sessions in order to develop their fluency. This involves an extra 15-minute maths session at least three mornings per week. No new concepts are introduced during this time. Instead, it allows children to recap prior learning related to key areas of maths including: number, written and mental methods for the four operations, fractions, times tables and number bonds.

Maths2

Reasoning is the process of applying logical and critical thinking to a mathematical problem in order to work out the correct strategy to use.

Problem solving is about finding a way to apply knowledge and skills to answer unfamiliar types of problems, including those with real-world contexts. Problem solving develops skills including: following a line of enquiry; asking questions; representing and communicating; planning and implementing an approach; making connections; evaluating; generalising and justifying.

Assessment and reporting

After every unit of work, children at Harpenden Academy complete a short assessment. This enables teachers to identify further needs within the class, which can then be addressed through further whole-class lessons, Early Bird Maths or, in some cases, an intervention for a small group of pupils. At the end of every term, children from years 1-6 complete two assessment papers: an arithmetic paper and a reasoning paper. This enables teachers to report on the progress pupils are making, identify areas of need within the class and ensure that all children are on track to meet curriculum expectations. We believe that through short, regular, low-stakes assessment, our children develop the skills and confidence they need for future testing, including the SATs at the end of KS2. The mathematics subject leader is responsible for monitoring and analysing data at the end of each term to audit teacher judgements and provide support as needed.

Oracy

First Hand Experiences

First Hand Experiences maths

Belonging

How do I see myself in maths

Subject on a page

Adaptive teaching

 

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