At St Minver School we intend to provide our pupils with a high-quality mathematics education which 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.
We want children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. We intend for our pupils to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects. We want children to realise that mathematics has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. We want them to know that it is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment.
At St Minver School we aim to ensure that ALL pupils:
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become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that our pupils have conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately to problems. In Early Years and Key Stage One, teachers use the online program NumberSense to develop this ability to visualise these concepts, whereas in Years 3 and 4 there is a shift to prioritise fluency in multiplication facts. This culminates in the Government's Multiplication Check at the end of Year 4. In Years 5 and 6, we work to ensure children are fluent with multiplication facts to 12 x 12 and that they can apply these to solve the corresponding division facts, too.
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reason mathematically by following a line of inquiry, developing an argument with justification or proof using mathematical language.
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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 steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
This is done through a Mastery Curriculum, ensuring that all of our children develop a deep and sustainable understanding of mathematical concepts promoting a rich understanding of mathematical concepts, taught in small steps in a systematic way.
We expect the majority of our pupils to move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress will be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. We will ensure that pupils who grasp concepts quickly will be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier materials will consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
Please see below our calculation policy which will show you the different strategies and methods we use in school. This will help you to support your child’s learning at home and consolidate the work they have done in school.
