The National Curriculum states that:

“Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.”

St James and St John Church of England Primary School aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Achieve fluency of key facts
• Be proficient in the calculations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Develop a conceptual understanding of mathematics
• Are able to reasoning about maths in different contexts
• Become independent active learners who are confident in applying their skills and knowledge to challenging contexts, being able to work logically and analytically.
• Leave St James and St John Church of England Primary School as empowered Mathematicians with enquiring minds who believe in their mathematical ability and are always eager for a challenge.

We teach maths in a way that…

• provides a creative, stimulating and challenging environment in which the children can flourish and prosper
• promotes the concept that acquiring Maths knowledge and skills provides the foundation for understanding the world around the children
• develops fluent mental strategies
• encourages children to use mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain
• allows time for partner talk in order to stimulate and develop a curiosity for Maths
• empowers children to challenge themselves and take risks in their learning
• creates a sense of awe and wonder surrounding Maths
• provides children with strategies to enable them to be independent Mathematicians

St James and St John Church of England Primary School empowers learners through each classroom being resourced with materials to support the delivery of Maths; such items might include number lines, numicon, counters, multiplication tables, 100 squares, 2D and 3D shapes, multilink cubes, dice and other smaller items. Children are encouraged to use resources available to them in the classroom and which they feel would be beneficial to help them when completing Maths work. Each classroom has a Maths Working Wall showing key vocabulary and current learning.

At St James and St John Church of England Primary School we teach Maths using the CPA approach: concrete, pictorial, abstract. This will allow the children to experience the physical aspects of Maths before finding a way to present their findings and understandings in a visual form before relying on the abstract numbers. To ensure children are fluent in their mental maths strategies and recall of key facts children complete daily practice using a range of resources such as; Ninja maths, fluent in five, Numbots and TTRockstars.