‘Maths is more than numbers and numbers are more than counting.’
Aims
- To support our pupil’s to develop a set of thinking tools to help them increase their knowledge and understanding of the world and make meaningful choices within it.
- To provide a range of opportunities for enactive (physical objects), iconic (picture and diagrams) and symbolic (numerals and symbols) learning so that our young people experience maths through a mixture of concrete, pictorial and abstract approaches.
- To embed fluency, reasoning and problem solving into our Mathematics approach through varied methods and approaches to teaching the range of maths skills required to not only progress through the curriculum but to develop essential life skills.
- Mathematics is often equated with calculation and numerals, but for our young people it is important that they are given a range of experiences to support their understandings of quantity, space, time, patterns, relationships, order and changes.
To support our pupil’s to develop a set of thinking tools to help them increase their knowledge and understanding of the world and make meaningful choices within it.

Overview of Curriculum Area: Intent
Explorers, Seekers, Discoverers
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Pupils following these curriculums engage with maths through a range of approaches to develop their basic Math concepts (focussed around Thinking and Problem Solving Skills in Discovery). Where relevant they will work through the EYFS framework, personalised targets or milestones on the Maths Learning Ladder to develop knowledge and understanding in a way that makes sense to them and helps them to make sense of the world around them. Maths skills are woven through all learning situations that the pupils encounter during the day including morning routines, playtime, snack time or lunchtime or to anticipate and predict changes so that they can respond to a visual timetable. Many opportunities are made to ensure that the pupils use their skills in practical and life relevant situations such as cooking, shopping and community visits.
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Enquirers
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This curriculum involves more traditionally discrete daily maths lessons following the aspects of the National Curriculum that are meaningful to pupils and linked to our thematic learning. These themes allow teachers and pupils to explore and spend focused time on the maths and numeracy involved in that particular topic. Learning is sequenced through the detailed Thematic Long Term Plan to ensure the progress through the learning journey, and the steps they need to take to progress their skills and knowledge. (As identified on the Learning Ladder). Where appropriate this curriculum stage also prepares pupils for their next stage of learning (Functional Skills and accreditation).
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Enquirers
KS 4
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Pupils take the skills they have learnt and apply them to a Functional Skills based curriculum, as well as additional accreditation including ASDAN. This allows them to leave school with a nationally recognised qualification, which can then be built upon in both Post-16 and Post-19 education.
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Post 16
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Pupils build on the functional skills based curriculum and extend their ASDAN pupil progress accreditation where appropriate. Pupils are involved in an enterprise project which involves practical maths and learning what maths is required in a very practical way.
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Term
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Cycle 3: Subject Intent linked to Thematic Learning
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Assessment
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1
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Home and Harbour Life
Counting, calculations and place value.
Shape properties and patterns.
Money/Time
· Getting to grip with numbers and how we use maths in school and at home.
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Against targets.
Learning Ladder skills and knowledge milestones.
(Accreditation / Functional Skills).
Teacher assessment.
White Rose.
GAS goals
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2
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Great Events
Operations and commutation/inverse relationships.
Gather and present data.
· Being clever with numbers and linking to great events (e.g the world cup) to help us.
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3
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Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
Number patterns and rules
Measure (distance, time and direction)
· Having fun, playing with numbers and using what is around us to compare and measure.
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4
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Forces
Measure (weight).
Shape properties and capacity.
· Using everyday items in the world around us to compare, weigh and analyse.
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5
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Roots - Shoots and Muddy Boots
Multi-step calculations and problem solving.
Measure (size) and comparison
[Money and time cross-curricular]
· Putting on our reasoning hats and solving problems. Getting competitive with measure.
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6
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Amazing Adventures
Measure (distance, time and direction.)
Shape (properties and size).
· Thinking about how far and how fast things move on our adventures and the shapes in the environment.
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Cross-curricular Links
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How does Maths support this?
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STEAM
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Geometry, shape, measure, statistics calculation skills are all essential foundational elements of STEAM. Securing pupils’ knowledge in these areas allows them to access more aspects of the curriculum, at a more challenging level.
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English Skills
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Reading comprehension is fundamentally important for pupils to access written problem solving. Number formation also involves the same skill sets and fine motor skills as letter formation. Use of manipulatives such as cubes, blocks, counters and dice also supports development of fine motor skills.
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Cross-curricular
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PE provides fantastic opportunities for enactive maths learning and practical application of number and measure skills. Food Technology and cooking also require understanding of measure and time and provides a different context to learn and apply skills. Forest Schools is also another enactive opportunity in a less familiar context where pupils are free to explore and learn at their own pace.
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SMSC and
British Values
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The awe and wonder of mathematics is shared with the children and helps to explain the world and the mathematical patterns that occur such as the symmetry of snowflakes or the stripes of a zebra. We talk about the wow factor when the pupils make connections in maths.
At the beginning of topics the hook is used to engage pupils and to show how maths is used in the real world.
Social education in Maths gives the greatest opportunity for pupils to work together collaboratively during exploratory work.
Pupils consider the development of shape patterns around the world in particular tessellations and the symmetry of buildings. Pupils discuss the use of Mathematical language and how it is a universal language used worldwide.
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Curriculum Support
Provides support to key groups of pupils across the school as identified by teachers and progress data; PPG pupils, high achievers and those who require support to access exams. This supported happens in small groups in class and some 1:1 sessions and can use Dynamo Maths to support this. Its strength lies in the way it offers multiple engagement routes so that the same skill is learned and consolidated in different ways whilst harnessing the pupils’ senses, emotions, verbal, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic skills.
Extra Opportunities/ Celebrating Maths
- Maths is the underpinning academic component for many of our sports activities, secure knowledge of ordinal numbers allows us to celebrate our success!
- We celebrate maths across the school on World Number day, and throughout that week run a variety of challenges from coin stacking to whole school bingo to raise awareness of the importance and relevance of Maths.
- Maths skills also play a key role in our regular enterprise activities such as the Christmas Fayre, coffee mornings and activity planning.