Curriculum Implementation
Implementation
Our mathematics curriculum spans a five-year journey, extending to seven years for students who continue their studies in the VI Form. The structure of the curriculum is divided into three stages: a three-year Key Stage 3, a two-year Key Stage 4, and a two-year Key Stage 5 curriculum, each building progressively upon prior knowledge.
Subject specialists have carefully curated the sequence and rationale of the curriculum, ensuring that the content is taught in a logical and interconnected manner. This approach prevents knowledge from being isolated and promotes a deeper understanding by establishing clear links between concepts.
At Key Stage 3, the curriculum is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. The content is organised into thematic units, each designed to reinforce prior knowledge and facilitate the transfer of learning. This scaffolding approach supports the development of a deeper conceptual understanding and the ability to apply mathematical skills across different contexts.
At Key Stage 4, the Edexcel GCSE syllabus is delivered in a structured, unit-based format. The curriculum is designed to cultivate mathematical fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities. Each lesson builds on previously acquired knowledge, creating opportunities for students to make meaningful connections and deepen their understanding of complex topics. The organisation of units ensures both breadth and depth in students’ mathematical development.
At Key Stage 5, the AQA A Level Maths specification guides the curriculum. Like KS4, content is structured into coherent units, which are carefully designed to further enhance students’ fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. The sequencing of lessons allows for continuous progression, encouraging students to apply and extend their learning in new contexts, with an emphasis on both depth and breadth of understanding.
To cater to diverse learning needs, teachers consistently check for student understanding and adapt their teaching strategies as required. Regular formative assessment, including fortnightly low-stakes quizzes, diagnostic questions on whiteboards and revisit tasks, reinforces content retention and provides opportunities for students to consolidate their learning. This approach allows for responsive teaching based on student feedback, ensuring that any gaps in knowledge are addressed and that learning is reinforced over time.
The inclusion of student voice in curriculum development ensures that learners have an active role in shaping their mathematical education. Additionally, the Maths Department is a member of the North West Maths Hub (NW3) and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, collaborating with School Improvement Partners to ensure the curriculum maintains its quality, comprehensiveness, and alignment with best practices.
Pedagogical approach
The pedagogical approach for Maths adheres to the LLT Teaching and Learning Policy. Subject specialists deliver the Maths curriculum through seven one hour lessons per fortnight
Rosenshine and ‘Teach Like a Champion’ strategies are implemented in all lessons and lesson episodes are designed to enable students to store knowledge into the long-term memory.
Lessons
Tasks and activities are engaging and whenever possible are linked to local context, careers and progression and develop cultural capital the inclusion through opportunities
Lessons are structured to enable students to review/retrieve prior knowledge and activate it to make connections with new learning. This is through ‘Do It Now’ tasks at the start of each lesson
In each lesson, students are informed what they are learning and what the outcomes for the lesson are. We call these ‘WALT’ (What we are all learning today,) and ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For.)
New information is delivered in small steps and models are provided to support student comprehension. In each lesson, students experience worked examples (“I do”), followed by a “We do” or a “You do”.
Lessons provide opportunities for students to practise applying their new learning. This may include guided and/or independent practice.
Questioning is used to inform adaptive teaching, and this includes techniques such as ‘right is right’ to ensure students accurately and clearly articulate their responses.
Students are asked to complete practical based activities such as whiteboard questions” to address common misconceptions and “turn and talk” to develop and articulate their Mathematical thinking.
Students develop essential knowledge and then apply it in activities that ‘bring it all together.’ This ensures they connect knowledge and learning.
We assess an ever expanding curriculum. Assessment takes place in the form of formative and summative assessment tasks. These are carefully considered and link directly to the curriculum intent for the half term. Summative assessment samples from the whole curriculum to date – not just what has been taught most recently.
Clear ‘essential knowledge reading’ activities are provided to support reading development and provide depth and breadth to the curriculum. A sequence of lessons will include problem solving and practice style questions. We focus on reading questions and being clear on what is being asked.
Literacy
In Maths, teachers clearly communicate their subject discipline using appropriate vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction is integrated into all classrooms.
In Maths, students are provided with opportunities to hear, see, and use new vocabulary. Teachers develop vocabulary using Beck et al’ tiers of vocabulary, including the use of command words, Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.
In Maths, we provide opportunities for students to ‘bring together’ knowledge developed. To develop oracy, the Maths Department encourages students to use appropriate mathematical vocabulary, to work with others through “turn and talk”, to clarify and explain their answers to deepen understanding.
Students complete reading comprehensions each half term which links their knowledge of maths to the world around them.
