Maths

Our mathematics curriculum is designed to develop confident, curious and resilient mathematicians who understand the mathematics they are learning rather than simply learning procedures. We use the White Rose Maths curriculum to support the planning and sequencing of our mathematics curriculum, ensuring that children develop their knowledge progressively and build securely on prior learning. 

Mastery Approach

We follow a teaching for mastery approach, drawing on the principles of the NCETM Five Big Ideas and the Mastering Number programme. Our mathematics teaching places a strong emphasis on developing fluency, reasoning and problem-solving with children encouraged to explain their thinking, make connections and recognise patterns and relationships. 

We believe that all children can develop as mathematicians when they are given the right support, time and opportunities to make sense of mathematical ideas. We therefore provide appropriate scaffolding, challenge and representation so that all children can access ambitious mathematical learning. 

Mathematical Language

Mathematical language is central to our teaching. Children are explicitly taught the vocabulary they need to describe mathematical ideas, explain their thinking and communicate their reasoning. We encourage children to use sentence stems, mathematical discussion and precise language to articulate how they know, not simply what the answer is. 

Manipulatives

We make purposeful use of manipulatives and representations to help children see and understand the structure of mathematics. Children move between the concrete, pictorial and abstract, making connections between what they can see, what they can represent and the mathematical notation they use. Our use of manipulatives is not simply to make mathematics easier; it is carefully chosen to expose the mathematical structure and deepen understanding. 

Reasoning

Our curriculum places a particular emphasis on reasoning throughout, ensuring that children are given regular opportunities to notice, make connections, conjecture, explain, justify and generalise. As the NCETM describes, mathematical thinking includes looking for patterns and relationships, making connections, conjecturing, reasoning and generalising.