Mathematics

Being confident with number - and able to tackle problems is not just about 'learning maths' - at Belmont Cheveley Park we see mathematics is a life skill. As such, we place great emphasis on helping all of our children to become number confident and able to enjoy the challenge and need for perseverance that mathematics presents.

Across our school, we follow the National Curriculum for mathematics (a link to which is detailed below), however we have developed the mathematics curriculum through the promotion of 'Mathematical Habits of Mind'. At our school we understand that mathematics is not only about getting 'sums' right or wrong - we see maths as an opportunity to develop the following key skills:

• Looking for patterns and generalising
• Showing curiosity and persevering
• Solving and posing problems
• Making connections across maths topics
• Communicating mathematically
• Reflecting on learning and knowing next steps

The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils have conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately to problems
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

The content of the mathematics curriculum is divided into 10 parts, although younger years do not cover all parts, e.g. algebra is only formally introduced in Year 6 (although the foundations of which are evident throughout maths learning!).

• Number, Place value, Rounding, Approximation & Estimation
• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication and Division
• Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
• Measures
• Geometry - Properties of Shapes
• Geometry - Position, Direction and Movement
• Data
• Ratio and Proportion
• Algebra

Throughout the above content, children are focused on ‘Using and Applying’ throughout; children use the skills and knowledge they have gained in solving practical problems independently and with others to both learn and develop mathematical concepts.

Children undertake 5 sessions of Maths per week including mental maths and tables; children are expected to know all their tables by Year 4. However, just as the English curriculum is embedded across all subjects, so is mathematics. From the collection analysis of 'real' data in science experiments, to the use of angles in controlling floor robots in computing, to simple counting in music - maths sits centrally at the heart of our curriculum alongside English.

Please see class pages for half termly overviews of learning, and the 'homework helpers' page for a clear overview of calculation methods used across our school.

Below is a document which outlines the National Curriculum for England for Mathematics, which includes year group expectations and examples of maths work from Years 1-6.