Ganton School understands and promotes the notion that mathematical knowledge is a vital skill to posess. Taking this into account, we want all of our learners to leave the school after their senior years with purposeful mathematical abilities. We understand that our students’ complex and severe learning needs provide challenges at an individual level in their daily lives, we therefore appreciate that our pupils’ experience of maths may be unique for each student. However, we are determined to ensure that every pupil reaches their full potential in maths.
We tailor our lessons to promote enjoyment and fulfilment when studying maths; this is done by ensuring teachers are designing activities and lessons that are enriching, purposeful, engaging and challenging. For our sensory explorers, maths might be used as a driver to work with an adult or peer in an explorative manner which indirectly will encompass mathematical language and knowledge. For our students that are preparing and planning for independence we aim to promote a love of more formal mathematical knowledge that can be transferred into everyday life situations.
Utilising maths as a skill allows our pupils to access learning across the school’s entire curriculum and additionally supports future learning as well as independence and employability. Mathematical knowledge and language is also deeply interwoven into daily communication and supports pupils in their day to day lives both in and outside of the school. Having an understanding of mathematical language and knowledge provides our students with information and skills to help support choice making, develop the following of routines and instructions and furthermore, fosters a love of organisation and problem solving. Having this skill set is highly important for all of our students.
We identify the importance of ensuring that there is a consistent and purposeful whole school approach to the delivery of maths. By doing so we are ensuring all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve their full potential whilst in our care. All pupils will begin to access an EYFS approach to maths at the relevant stage of their learning. This will then lead on to accessing more formal yet purposeful learning which mirrors the national curriculum via the White Rose scheme of learning. The aim of this approach is to create confident and self-reliant mathematicians who will be able to use mathematical knowledge both for pleasure and for purpose.
As pupils enter their more senior years at the school, maths continues to take on a much more formal yet real life component. In KS5 maths becomes delivered through an OCR scheme of learning for the students planning for independence and for our other pupils, helps support them complete everyday tasks and challenges that they may experience whilst living as valued members of their communities. At Ganton we have the expectation that all of our pupils will reach their maximum potential, they will experience challenges and will be persistently encouraged to be resilient instead of reliant. We envisage that this skill set will create cohorts of young people who are more independent and more confident by the time they reach their adult lives
Maths curriculum for the Sensory Explorer
A maths experience for a sensory explorer at Ganton School would include the opportunities to learn informal mathematical language such as “more” “stop” “then” “now”. These phrases will help students in their time at Ganton School in a communicative capacity and also will be transferred into their adult lives. Students will be learning in a more incidental manner for example through sensory play, exploration and environmental activities. Students will be learning supplementary information through interaction with staff and peers throughout their typical day in school. For example a member of staff may ask or direct pupils to get their “shoes” or their “coat”. Students will therefore be gaining an understanding of quantities in an informal but yet productive manner.
Through ongoing intensive interaction sessions, students will also be exposed to an array of opportunities to take turns, learn about the size of items, anticipating what comes next, and furthermore use problem solving skills to help complete puzzles and be flexible when experiencing real life scenarios.
Maths curriculum for those who are preparing for independence
Students who are preparing for independence will begin to be exposed to more formal mathematical learning, whilst also learning though incidental environmental aspects. A student in this pathway will demonstrate the ability to access a more prescriptive style of learning, yet will still have their individual needs taken into account regularly. When teachers are planning with these students in mind, they will provide opportunities for challenge and extend the pupils understanding of mathematical concepts. However, the staff will potentially have to informally assess the abilities of the students at all times and create relevant resources to help the pupils access the information being taught. Teacher will focus on providing pupil with the tools to be as independent as possible in accordance to their learning needs
At a stage where it is appropriate, the students will begin to follow the National Curriculum in line with the White Rose schemes of work. Which would include lessons taught surrounding the overarching titles of number, measurement and geometry and statistics and probability.
Maths curriculum for those who are able to plan for independence
Pupils who are planning for independence will access formally taught maths lessons and mathematical content when they are at an appropriate stage to do so. This will include starting at an EYFS level following the National Curriculum Model. To inform planning and progression through the relevant skills, teachers will utilise the disciplinary information provided through the White Rose scheme of work to guide planning.
Typically, students will access lessons surrounding number, measurement and geometry as well as statistics and probability. Under these umbrella titles, pupils will develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical language to a deeper level. Furthermore, the content pupils are exposed to and are interacting with will be skills that can be transferred into adult life and will help students become more independent.
