Maths

At Foxdell, we want our pupils to appreciate mathematics by developing a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

We aim to ensure that all children:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so they 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 principal focus of mathematics teaching in Key Stage 1 is to ensure that children develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This involves working with numerals, words and the four operations, including with practical resources (e.g. concrete objects and measuring tools).

We follow the White Rose Maths curriculum in KS1. This curriculum ensures that when introduced to a new concept, pupils have the opportunity to build competency. It places an emphasis on the three main aims of the National Curriculum; fluency, reasoning and problem solving by using the following approach:

• Concrete- Pupils have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they are doing
• Pictorial- Pupils build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can be used to reason and solve problems.
• Abstract- With the foundations firmly laid, pupils are able to move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

Calculation Policy

The White Rose Policy and Guidelines outline the end of year expectations for each year group in each of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and contains the key representational and written procedures that will be taught within the school.