Maths

We want all of our children to LIVE - life in all its fullness (John 10:10)

“Maths is all about being curious, spotting patterns, solving problems and discovering that there’s more than one way to find an answer!

At Bickerton Holy Trinity CE Primary School, we believe that every child is a mathematician. Our mathematics curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and designed to develop confident, curious and resilient learners who enjoy exploring mathematical ideas, making connections and solving problems.

Rooted in our Christian vision of “Life in all its fullness”, we want every pupil to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in mathematics, regardless of their starting point or individual needs.

We want all our children to LIVE – Life in all its fullness.

Our LIVE curriculum encourages children to become:

L – Life-Long Learners: Developing a secure understanding of mathematics, a positive mindset and the confidence to use maths in everyday life.

I – Immersive: Exploring mathematics through practical, real-life and problem-solving experiences that bring learning to life.

V – Valuing Diversity: Recognising different ways of thinking, celebrating unique approaches and ensuring everyone can access, engage with and succeed in mathematics.

E – Enquiring Minds: Asking mathematical questions, spotting patterns, making connections and reasoning to solve problems.

Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum and is supported by White Rose Maths, the NCETM Mastering Number programme and evidence-informed teaching approaches. We place a strong emphasis on securing foundational knowledge, developing mathematical fluency and enabling pupils to apply their understanding through reasoning and problem-solving.

Intent: What do we want our pupils to learn?

Our aim is to ensure that all pupils develop a secure and lasting understanding of mathematics, enabling them to become confident, independent and successful mathematicians.

We want every child to:

Develop mathematical fluency: Secure a strong understanding of number, place value, number relationships and efficient calculation strategies, supported by regular practice and retrieval.
Reason mathematically: Explain their thinking, justify answers, identify patterns and make connections using accurate mathematical vocabulary.
Solve problems confidently: Apply mathematical knowledge and skills to familiar and unfamiliar situations, selecting appropriate strategies and persevering when faced with challenges.
Build secure foundations: Develop knowledge progressively, making meaningful connections between new learning and previously taught concepts.
Think deeply: Move beyond simply finding an answer to understanding why mathematical methods work, recognising relationships and exploring different approaches.
Develop positive mathematical attitudes: Become resilient, curious and reflective learners who recognise that mistakes, discussion and perseverance are important parts of learning.
Experience success and challenge: Access an ambitious curriculum with appropriate support, scaffolding and opportunities for greater depth.
Recognise the relevance of mathematics: Apply mathematical understanding in everyday life, across the curriculum and through meaningful enrichment opportunities.

We believe that all pupils should experience a challenging and inclusive mathematics curriculum.

Our ambition is for pupils to develop both the mathematical competence and the confidence needed for their next stage of education and beyond.

Implementation: How do we teach mathematics?

Mathematics is taught daily from Reception to Year 6, following the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework and the National Curriculum.

White Rose Maths provides the main framework for curriculum sequencing, planning and assessment. Its small-step approach supports teachers in breaking mathematical concepts into manageable stages, ensuring that new knowledge builds progressively on secure prior understanding.

Our curriculum covers the key mathematical domains:

Number and place value
Addition and subtraction
Multiplication and division
Fractions, decimals and percentages
Measurement
Geometry
Statistics
Ratio and proportion and algebra, where specified in the National Curriculum

Teachers use their professional judgement to adapt the pace, representations and learning activities in response to pupils' understanding, while maintaining the ambition of the curriculum.

High-quality teaching and explicit instruction

Our teaching is informed by evidence-based approaches and lessons are carefully structured to provide clarity, build understanding and support pupils towards increasing independence.

Teachers use:

Daily review and retrieval: Revisiting essential number facts, calculations and previously taught concepts to strengthen retention.
Small-step teaching: Introducing new learning in manageable stages and checking understanding before increasing complexity.
Explicit modelling: Demonstrating mathematical processes clearly, including thinking aloud to make reasoning visible.
Guided practice: Providing opportunities for pupils to practise new learning with teacher support before working independently.
Questioning and discussion: Using carefully selected questions to identify misconceptions, deepen understanding and encourage mathematical thinking.
Scaffolding and adaptive teaching: Providing temporary support through representations, worked examples, prompts and targeted adult guidance.
Independent application: Ensuring pupils have opportunities to practise, reason and solve problems independently.

Teachers continually assess understanding throughout lessons, adapting explanations, models and tasks to ensure pupils remain engaged and make progress.

Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract (CPA) approaches

We recognise that a secure conceptual understanding is essential for mathematical success.

Our teaching uses a Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach, enabling children to explore mathematical concepts through practical resources, visual representations and mathematical symbols.

Children are encouraged to:

Explore concretely: Use manipulatives such as counters, cubes, bead strings, tens frames, number lines and place value equipment to understand mathematical relationships.
Represent pictorially: Use drawings, diagrams, bar models and other visual representations to explain and develop their thinking.
Understand abstractly: Use mathematical symbols, calculations and efficient written methods with increasing confidence.

These representations are connected throughout learning rather than treated as a rigid sequence. Practical resources and visual models remain available whenever they support understanding, including for older pupils.

Developing fluency and number sense

Fluency is a fundamental part of our mathematics curriculum.

We want pupils to develop automatic recall of essential number facts while also understanding the mathematical relationships that underpin them.

Alongside daily mathematics lessons, pupils benefit from regular opportunities to revisit and practise key number knowledge.

The NCETM Mastering Number programme supports the development of secure number sense and fluency.

In Reception and Key Stage 1, we place particular emphasis on:

Counting, cardinality and the composition of number.
Subitising and recognising number patterns.
Developing number bonds and additive relationships.
Comparing quantities and understanding number relationships.
Building confidence with mental calculation.

In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to develop:

Efficient mental calculation strategies.
Automatic recall of multiplication and division facts.
Understanding of multiplicative relationships.
Flexible application of number facts.
Accuracy and efficiency when calculating.

Regular fluency practice, retrieval and appropriate use of resources, including Times Tables Rock Stars, help pupils develop the automaticity needed to tackle increasingly complex mathematics.

Reasoning and problem-solving

Reasoning and problem-solving are integral to our mathematics curriculum and are not reserved for pupils who finish their work quickly.

Pupils are regularly encouraged to explain, justify, compare, investigate and make connections.

Teachers develop mathematical talk through questions such as:

How do you know?
Can you prove it?
Is there another way?
What do you notice?
What is the same and what is different?
Will this always be true?

Children are encouraged to use accurate mathematical vocabulary, representations and examples to communicate their thinking.

We recognise that greater depth means developing a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, rather than simply moving on to more advanced content.

Adaptive teaching, SEND and inclusion

Inclusion is central to our approach to mathematics.

Our teaching reflects the principles of Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision (OAIP), ensuring that high-quality teaching is accessible to all pupils.

We maintain ambitious expectations for children with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those who require additional support.

Teachers use adaptive teaching strategies, including:

Explicit instruction and carefully sequenced learning.
Breaking complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
Pre-teaching and revisiting essential mathematical vocabulary.
Practical resources and visual representations.
Worked examples and guided practice.
Opportunities for repetition and overlearning.
Flexible grouping and targeted adult support.
Regular checks for understanding and timely feedback.

Where pupils experience difficulties, teachers identify the underlying barriers and provide targeted support, including additional practice or intervention where appropriate.

For pupils working significantly below age-related expectations, learning is carefully adapted to their individual starting points and identified outcomes while maintaining meaningful access to the mathematics curriculum.

Our aim is to develop independence rather than reliance on adult support, gradually removing scaffolds as pupils become more secure.

Mathematics in the Early Years

Mathematical understanding begins in Reception, where children develop strong foundations through a balance of adult-led teaching, purposeful play and exploration.

Our Early Years mathematics curriculum is informed by the EYFS statutory framework, Development Matters and the principles of Mastering Number.

Children develop a deep understanding of number to 10, including number composition, subitising, number bonds and numerical patterns.

Mathematical learning is embedded throughout the indoor and outdoor environment, providing opportunities to explore counting, shape, space, measure, pattern and problem-solving.

Adults model mathematical language, introduce new concepts and use carefully planned interactions to extend children's thinking.

Our aim is to ensure that children leave Reception with secure foundations and the confidence to access the Year 1 mathematics curriculum.

Assessment and responsive teaching

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning.

Teachers use ongoing formative assessment to identify what pupils know, understand and can do, enabling them to adapt teaching and address misconceptions promptly.

Assessment includes:

Questioning and mathematical discussion.
Observation during guided and independent learning.
Review of pupils' work and mathematical explanations.
Retrieval activities and low-stakes checks.
End-of-unit assessments.
Termly assessment and analysis of progress.
Statutory assessments, including the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check and Key Stage 2 assessments.

Assessment information is used to identify gaps, inform future teaching and evaluate the effectiveness of additional support.

Pupil progress discussions support the early identification of children at risk of falling behind and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

We recognise that securing mathematical understanding is more important than simply completing a sequence of lessons. Teachers revisit and consolidate learning where assessment indicates that further teaching is needed.

Mathematics beyond the classroom

We want children to recognise mathematics as a meaningful and valuable part of everyday life.

Opportunities are provided to apply mathematical skills through:

Practical investigations and mathematical challenges.
Cross-curricular learning, including science, geography and design technology.
Real-life contexts involving money, time, measurement and data.
Mathematical games, enrichment activities and problem-solving opportunities.
Activities that encourage curiosity, collaboration and perseverance.

These experiences help pupils appreciate the relevance of mathematics and develop confidence in applying their learning beyond the classroom.

Impact: How do we know our mathematics curriculum is successful?

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is reflected in the knowledge, understanding, confidence and independence that pupils develop over time.

We want pupils to leave Bickerton Holy Trinity CE Primary School as confident, fluent and resilient mathematicians who can apply their learning successfully in a range of contexts.

We expect to see the following outcomes:

Secure mathematical knowledge and understanding

Pupils demonstrate increasing fluency in number facts, calculation strategies and mathematical concepts. They can recall and apply prior learning and make connections between different areas of mathematics.

Confident mathematical reasoning

Pupils use accurate mathematical vocabulary to explain their thinking, justify answers and discuss alternative approaches. They understand not only how to complete a calculation but why a method works.

Independent problem-solvers

Pupils apply their knowledge to unfamiliar problems, select appropriate strategies and demonstrate resilience when faced with mathematical challenges.

Positive attitudes towards mathematics

Pupils approach mathematics with confidence, curiosity and a willingness to learn from mistakes. They recognise that perseverance and reflection are important parts of mathematical learning.

Strong progress for all pupils

Pupils make progress from their individual starting points towards ambitious curriculum expectations. Those requiring additional support are identified promptly and receive effective teaching and intervention.

Readiness for the next stage of education

Pupils develop the foundational knowledge, fluency and mathematical understanding required to access increasingly complex learning and prepare successfully for secondary education.