Skip to content ↓

Mathematics

The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils: 

  • become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics….so that pupils develop conceptual understanding
  • reason mathematically
  • can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non- routine problems (Department for Education,2013)         

In line with these aims, at St Edmund’s, our goal is for all children to become confident, fluent and inquisitive mathematicians who are fully engaged in and excited by their learning. We aim for all children to develop a deep, conceptual understanding of primary mathematics, so that they not only retain the methods and problem-solving strategies that they are taught but can manipulate these strategies in a variety of contexts. We believe that all children have the potential to achieve in mathematics.

With these aims in mind, we are now using the Inspire Maths programme to deliver the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2. To support this, we have invested heavily in concrete manipulatives, which enable all children to explore and explain the abstract nature of mathematics.  We also encourage drawings, including the use of bar models.  This concrete, pictorial and abstract approach, underpinned by research, is proven to be a very effective way of supporting long-term retention of mathematical concepts; the Inspire Maths materials enable us to embed this pedagogy effectively in our classrooms.

Lessons encourage inclusion, peer interaction and teamwork. This means not only that a child can benefit from having concepts explained to them by their peer, but that children are able to consolidate and deepen their own understanding of a concept by articulating explanations themselves.

For further information, please see our Mathematics Policy.

My Money Week June 2021

From the 14th - 18th June, our school took part in My Money Week, a national activity programme focusing on financial education for young people. Each class worked through a project that helped them to learn a bit more about how money is used in the real world. 

In Reception, we learnt to use coins to buy pencils from a shop.

In Year 1, we set up a shop to buy healthy snacks like apples. 

In Year 2, we set up and ran our own lemonade stall.

In Year 3, we learnt to write shopping lists.

In Year 4, we planned for a pet.

In Year 5, we planned, budgeted for and hosted our very own tea party.

In Year 6, we planned and budgeted our school disco.