Maths Subject Statement

 

Perseverance  – We aspire to encourage resilience, perseverance and an acceptance that mistakes are an important part of learning.

Ambition – We celebrate effort as much as attainment, promoting the importance of hard work to build success and the development of a growth mindset to ensure we allow each pupil a chance to believe in themselves as mathematicians.

Curiosity – Our curriculum is designed to nurture inquisitive thinkers by encouraging children to explore patterns, investigate concepts, and seek out connections between ideas. We aim to inspire pupils to ask thoughtful questions, make meaningful links in their learning, and develop a genuine curiosity about how mathematics works and why it matters.

Kindness – We intend to provide effective support to pupils where they find it difficult to grasp a mathematical concept or to recall key number facts. We will teach Mathematics in an inclusive manner, with high aspirations for all our learners.

 

Curriculum Intent

The maths curriculum at St John’s lays strong foundations for children’s mathematical curiosity and understanding throughout their lives. It encourages them to find joy and excitement in recognising patterns and making meaningful connections. The curriculum is coherently structured from Early Years to Year 6, with particular emphasis on the consistent use of models and representations to support conceptual understanding and enable children to explain their thinking clearly. Challenge and depth are embedded for all learners, with opportunities for greater depth for rapid graspers and tailored support for those who need it. Our maths curriculum aligns with the National Curriculum aims, promoting a balanced focus on fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving. A strong emphasis on developing children’s oracy supports their ability to articulate their learning and thinking, connecting maths to the wider curriculum. 

 

Curriculum Implementation

Our curriculum is built around the mathematical knowledge and pedagogy expertise of the NCETM and uses the Oak National Academy and Mastering Number resources for teaching and learning.

Children are introduced to the concepts through the use of concrete resources (e.g. place value counters, Base 10 etc). When they are comfortable solving problems with physical aids, they are given problems with pictures – usually pictorial representations of the concrete objects they were using and are encouraged to draw these representations themselves to support problem solving. Eventually, children are asked to solve problems where they only have the abstract (e.g. numbers or symbols). Throughout teaching, children are taught the vocabulary needed to discuss and explain their learning. This not only embeds mathematical concepts, processes and reasoning but also develops high-level mathematical oracy.

The CPA-V approach is used across the school but may vary due to the age or needs of the children. In EYFS and KS1, the concrete manipulatives are used to introduce all new concepts and may be required throughout teaching of a specific unit however, the aim is to build independence and understanding through pictorial then abstract activities as children’s understanding becomes secure. In planning at KS2, teachers identify the concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations that will support learning which may be for the whole class at the start of a unit, but may only be used by some pupils as the unit develops.

We work alongside the BBO Maths Hub to plan, implement, assess and review our curriculum.  Staff are continuously improving their practice through training and their own research. The school has participated in the NCETM Maths Mastery program for the past five years and the Mastering Number KS1 program since it began. In 2025-2026 we will be participating in Mastering Number KS2.

Teachers carry out formative assessment through AfL in each session and feedback is given to children verbally, through self/peer assessment and through marking. Teachers then use this assessment to influence their planning. Children are rapidly identified as needing further challenge or additional support, and we ensure that this is provided in a timely manner.

 

Curriculum Impact

Regular reviews of teaching, learning and progress are made through lesson observations, learning walks, book reviews, data analysis from summative assessments and pupil voice. There is a culture of open and active discussion amongst teaching and support staff in staff meetings and informally. Our knowledge of children’s learning is informed by:

• The children’s responses in lessons – their engagement with activities and the depth of their response to challenging questions.
• The development of children’s recorded responses.
• Formative evidence of children’s growing knowledge that informs their strategies and reasoning, and their ability to justify these both orally and in written form as they get older.
• Formal summative assessments three times a year using question-level analysis to assess against year group objectives.

As a result of this implementation, we believe that pupils will be enthusiastic about Maths and see themselves as Mathematicians. They will display characteristics of a growth mindset, including the confidence that derives from understanding that their mistakes are a key part of their learning. They will feel that they are suitably challenged, yet also know that they will be well supported where needed.

We believe that children will develop a secure grasp of fundamental number facts and skills, along with the ability to reason and problem solve with these skills. 

We believe that this will lead to resilience and a willingness to tackle mathematical problems, and will inspire them to take forward their enthusiasm towards Maths into their later lives.