Intent for our Maths Curriculum:
At Baddow Hall Infant School our maths curriculum aims to ensure that children become lifelong learners through developing an enjoyment of working with number, shape and measures, using the Mastering Number programme to deepen their understanding of the patterns and relationships in mathematics. Our curriculum allows children to better make sense of the world around them relating the pattern between mathematics and everyday life. We aim to ensure that children develop curiosity by exploring maths in depth, using mathematical vocabulary to reason and explain their workings. We enable children to be creative through encouraging them to develop their own strategies to solve problems based on their previous learning.
We develop resilience in children through our maths curriculum by challenging children to use their mathematical understanding to solve problems and explain their reasoning. A wide range of mathematical resources are used and pupils are taught to show their workings in a concrete, pictorial and abstract form wherever suitable, thus ensuring that they are confident learners.
EYFS framework (educational programme):
Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. Children should be able to count confidently, develop a deep understanding of the numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers. By providing frequent and varied opportunities to build and apply this understanding - such as using manipulatives, including small pebbles and tens frames for organising counting - children will develop a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary from which mastery of mathematics is built. In addition, it is important that the curriculum includes rich opportunities for children to develop their spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape, space and measures. It is important that children develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, look for patterns and relationships, spot connections, ‘have a go’, talk to adults and peers about what they notice and not be afraid to make mistakes.
National curriculum guidance (purpose of study):
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.
