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Maths

Bure Park Maths Narrative:

We recognise that a child’s mathematical understanding is greatly influenced during their early years of life. At Bure Park, we strive to ensure that children’s first experiences of mathematics within school are both positive and practical. During their time in Nursery and Reception our children are given opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and describing shapes, spaces, and measures to work towards achieving the Early Learning Goals in maths and across the whole EYFS curriculum. The experiences offered to our children include planned carpet time sessions, continuous provision and focus activities. This varied exposure means that we are able to support our children’s development of cultural capital, relating mathematical experiences to real life contexts to help our teaching and learning have deeper meaning for our pupils. We also work closely with Key Stage One so that transition for our children is as smooth as possible and so that our children’s mathematical understanding is appropriate and meets the needs of Year 1 as our children move into the Key Stage One curriculum.

In Key Stage One, the aim is that the children are secure in the fundamental of numbers, as we consider this to underpin the Mathematics that they will then progress on to. Indeed, throughout the school there is a focus on number until at least the end of term one, and beyond if teacher judgement determines that more consolidation is needed. The use of concrete mathematical equipment is used throughout key stage one and again continues in to Key Stage Two, if needed, in order to underpin conceptual understanding. The development of fluency in Key Stage One is key to underpinning children’s ability to use taught procedures, as they move through Key Stage Two, the expectation is that they will begin to use these embedded procedures in order to apply them to other areas of the maths curriculum and to problems within their own context. For some considerable time now, the foundations of retrieval in Maths has been embedded in Key Stage One and in to Key Stage Two, where there is more of an expectation of children continuing to consolidate and draw-upon any previous learning- again this is a number focus and so is aptly named, ‘The Arithmetic starter’. Fluency, reasoning, often through the acquisition and use of precise mathematical language, and problem-solving are all developed and built upon as children progress through our school. Facilitated by our ‘small-steps’ of learning and our expectation and prioritisation that all children should be numerate.

As a school, we feel that part of our narrative, beginning in EYFS/Key Stage One and continuing through upper and lower Key Stage Two, is a structured approach to the teaching of Maths, where our children can progress through our School, with a clear understanding of the structure of their Maths lesson and in doing so, limit as much as possible any deviations which could impact their mathematical confidence.

Bure Park Primary School

Lucerne Avenue, Bure Park, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 3BP

01869 354059

office@bureparkprimary.org