Mathematics & Numeracy YEar 7 and 8 Curriculum Summary

When learners arrive with us at Crickhowell High School we allow a week or two for students to adjust to Secondary life by teaching in mixed attainment groups.

Following this initial period, all Year 7 students sit test papers, over the course of a week, to benchmark their attainment. These tests focus on both procedural and reasoning elements.

We then carry out a careful analysis of these results, combined with estimated attainment levels from Primary schools and National Numeracy Test data from Year 6.

Students are then initially grouped into sets by attainment and enter our Module system at a point appropriate to their current confidence and attainment.

Over the course of Year 7 and Year 8 students then follow our module pathways at a pace suited to each class and individual.

Setting remains entirely flexibly throughout learners' time with us. Using the results of 'Milestone' assessments, we regularly review setting to ensure it remains relevant and effective for our learners.

Our module system has, at the heart of it, the 5 Principles of Progression in Mathematics, namely developing:

• Conceptual Understanding
• Communication Using Symbols
• Fluency
• Logical Reasoning
• Strategic Competence

Students are offered a blend of experiences during the course of their Mathematics lessons, ranging from 'traditional' direct teaching and exploration of techniques, repetition and practice for fluency, opportunities to collaboratively problem-solve in abstract and applied contexts, as well as mini-projects focussing on applying and communicating their mathematics to explore a theme over a series of lessons.

Assessment to support learning is an integral aspect of each module, with regular opportunities for 'Milestone' tests; these are used to inform both learners and teachers of strengths and weaknesses, following a period of study. This can in turn influence future lesson planning as well as learners' independent revision goals.

In the longer term, we aim to support students to become increasingly confident, independent learners, accepting the importance of making mistakes in the subject, capable of self-reflecting on their work, open to asking for support and commiting to revision using the wealth of online resources available to them. We run a weekly 'drop-in' session to encourage students to seek support following independent revision or homework.

Beyond the classroom, we regularly participate in the National Cipher Challenge, with a weekly club supported by some of our strongest A-Level students.