Early Years
It is our aim that all children develop firm mathematical foundations in a way that is engaging, and appropriate for their age. Our Early Years Maths Curriculum is organised into key concepts which underpin many early mathematics curricula. There are six key areas of early mathematics learning, which collectively provide a platform for everything children will encounter as they progress through their maths learning at primary school, and beyond.
CARDINALITY AND COUNTING Understanding that the cardinal value of a number refers to the quantity, or ‘howmanyness’ of things it represents
COMPARISON Understanding that comparing numbers involves knowing which numbers are worth more or less than each other
COMPOSITION Understanding that one number can be made up from (composed from) two or more smaller numbers
PATTERN Looking for and finding patterns helps children notice and understand mathematical relationships
SHAPE AND SPACE Understanding what happens when shapes move, or combine with other shapes, helps develop wider mathematical thinking
MEASURES Comparing different aspects such as length, weight and volume, as a preliminary to using units to compare later
Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)
The principal focus of our mathematics teaching in Key Stage 1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This involves working with numerals, words and the four operations; children will have the opportunities to use practical resources (for example, concrete objects and measuring tools) to embed their learning.
Within Year 1 & 2, pupils develop their ability to recognise, describe, draw, compare and sort different shapes and use the related vocabulary. Teachers also help pupils to use a range of measures to describe and compare different quantities such as length, mass, capacity / volume, time and money.
By the end of Year 2, pupils will know the number bonds to 20 and be precise in using and understanding place value. An emphasis is placed on practice at this early stage. The curriculum ensures that pupils are able to read and spell mathematical vocabulary, at a level consistent with their increasing word-reading and spelling knowledge at Key Stage 1.
Lower Key Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4)
The principal focus of our mathematics curriculum in lower Key Stage 2 is to ensure that pupils become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. This ensures that pupils develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers.
We aim to also make sure that pupils also develop their ability to solve a range of problems, including simple fractions and decimal place value. Teaching also ensures that pupils draw with increasing accuracy and develop mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. Our curriculum ensures that they can use measuring instruments with accuracy and make connections between measure and number.
By the end of Year 4, it is our aim that pupils will have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table and show precision and fluency in their work. They should be able to read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently, using their growing sight vocabulary and knowledge of spelling.
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)
The principal focus of our mathematics curriculum in upper Key Stage 2 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. This should develop the connections that pupils make between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio.
In Year 5 & 6 our pupils develop their ability to solve a wide range of problems, including increasingly complex properties of numbers and arithmetic, and problems demanding efficient written and mental methods of calculation. With this foundation in arithmetic, pupils are introduced to the language of algebra as a means for solving a variety of problems.
Teaching in geometry and measures aims to consolidate and extend knowledge developed in number. Teaching also ensures that pupils classify shapes with increasingly complex geometric properties and pupils learn the vocabulary they need to describe them.
By the end of Year 6, the curriculum followed aims to make sure that pupils are fluent in written methods for all four operations, including long multiplication and division, and in working with fractions, decimals and percentages. Pupils are able to read, spell and pronounce increasingly complex mathematical vocabulary correctly.
