Mathematics
At St. Mary’s C of E Primary and Nursery School, our intent for Mathematics education is to foster a deep understanding and appreciation of mathematical concepts and processes among our pupils. We aim to:
Provide a rich and engaging curriculum: Our Maths curriculum is designed to develop pupils' fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. We ensure that every child has access to a broad and balanced curriculum that challenges and stimulates their thinking, promoting a love for the subject.
Encourage mathematical oracy: We aim to instil in our pupils an attitude of respect and maturity towards oracy in Maths. We believe that all pupils can articulate their reasoning using correct, subject-specific terminology and have the confidence to express their thoughts and questions.
Promote real-world application: We strive to connect mathematical concepts to real-world situations, helping pupils see the relevance of Maths in everyday life. This not only deepens their understanding but also enhances their engagement with the subject.
Build strong foundational skills: Our curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils acquire essential foundational skills in mathematics that prepare them for more complex concepts and are crucial for their future learning journeys.
Our Core Values provide the platform on which we have built our curriculum offer at Tickhill St. Mary’s. Our Maths curriculum is underpinned by these Core Values through:
Being Resilient
- Enabling pupils to engage deeply with mathematical concepts, differentiate between strategies, and draw upon their understanding to solve problems.
- Encouraging the courage to reason using mathematical terminology and to question appropriately.
- Helping pupils recognise the lifelong value of Maths and apply themselves to their learning every day.
Being Curious
- Gaining knowledge and understanding of a wide range of mathematical concepts.
- Engaging with challenging questions and articulating arguments to support their reasoning, especially when challenging others’ views.
- Approaching mathematical investigations independently and collaboratively with enthusiasm.
Being Active Members of Our Community
- Enhancing the Maths curriculum through links with the local community, including careers assemblies led by parents and local businesspeople, managing money and stalls at Summer and Christmas Fayres, and exploring patterns and shapes in various religions and cultures.
Being Respectful
- Emphasising the importance of collaboration and supporting one another in the learning process.
- Teaching children to respect others’ ideas and perspectives and how to give and receive constructive feedback.
- Promoting mutual respect by encouraging pupils to work in pairs or groups and share their ideas and strategies.
Being Accountable
- Developing confident mathematicians who think and act independently.
- Encouraging pupils to explore and develop systematic working methods that suit their learning style.
- Fostering maturity and logical thinking in their approach to Maths.
Beyond the Subject
At St Mary’s, we believe a quality Maths curriculum should nurture children’s natural curiosity and problem-solving skills. Maths is taught not only through discrete lessons but is embedded throughout our curriculum to highlight its value in everyday life. We recognise the importance of fostering a culture where children take pride in their presentation, celebrate their own and others’ successes, and adopt an “everyone can” attitude. We believe a secure foundation in Maths skills is crucial to a high-quality education and will equip our children with the tools they need to participate fully as active members of society.
Why do we value the White Rose Maths Scheme?
White Rose Maths is an organisation that provides maths resources and Schemes of Learning for pupils of all ages, from Early Years to secondary school. The Schemes of Learning outline yearly frameworks that break down what children need to learn each week of each term to master the learning objectives set out by the National Curriculum. The resources aligned with the White Rose Maths frameworks are designed to be enjoyable, engaging, and varied, helping pupils develop a love of learning and work towards mastery with differentiated support.
What defines White Rose Maths more than their resources and frameworks is their approach to teaching maths. At the heart of their resources and frameworks is the motto: “Everyone Can Do Maths: Everyone Can!” — a slogan we wholeheartedly agree with!
Their mission is to support primary school teachers and parents across the UK in helping children work towards maths mastery and to change attitudes towards the subject by encouraging a growth mindset in both teachers and learners. Adopting a White Rose Maths approach means ensuring all children have equal opportunities to learn and receive the support they need to fully grasp concepts.
At St. Mary’s, we have high expectations for both the teaching and learning of Maths to ensure that:
- Children master and use basic facts to automaticity.
- They develop fluency in the fundamentals of Mathematics.
- All children reason mathematically to a high standard and confidently create complete chains of logical reasoning.
- Children use and apply the correct mathematical vocabulary and fully articulate their thinking.
- Children have a sound understanding of the language and context of mathematics, leading to deep understanding in problem-solving contexts.
- Children confidently solve problems from a young age, linking and applying all areas of mathematics.
- Children are efficient mathematicians who can metacognitively draw upon and evaluate the best strategies in a given situation.
- Children’s long-term memory is developed in Maths.
- Children develop transferable skills to use and apply in other curriculum areas.
- Learning in small steps with a clear sequence promotes a “keep up, not catch up” ethos.
- Children at all stages discover the cohesiveness of mathematics—how concepts build on and link to each other. This is achieved by reviewing prior learning and building in small steps, noting at every opportunity how things fit into the bigger picture of Maths.
White Rose Online Maths Tools
Curriculum Maps
