At St Willibrord’s, we want every child to develop confidence, fluency and a secure understanding of mathematics.
Our aim is for pupils to see themselves as successful mathematicians who can reason, solve problems, explain their thinking and apply what they know in different contexts.
From Year 1 to Year 6, we follow the Maths — No Problem! programme. This is a mastery-based curriculum which is fully aligned with the National Curriculum for Mathematics.
The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build secure understanding over time. New learning is connected to previous knowledge and pupils are given opportunities to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving alongside one another.
Our approach is based on the principle that all pupils can become successful mathematicians when ideas are taught carefully, represented clearly and explored in sufficient depth.
Maths — No Problem! uses a Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach.
Children move between:
concrete resources – using practical equipment and manipulatives to explore mathematical ideas;
pictorial representations – using diagrams, models and images to represent mathematical relationships;
abstract mathematics – using numbers, symbols and formal written methods.
These representations are not simply used with younger pupils. Appropriate models and manipulatives continue to support mathematical thinking throughout the school.
Lessons are designed to encourage children to think, discuss and make connections rather than simply follow a procedure.
A Maths — No Problem! lesson will typically include:
Children begin with a mathematical problem or context.
They work collaboratively, using prior knowledge, practical resources and different representations to explore possible approaches.
The teacher brings pupils' ideas together.
Children are encouraged to explain and compare different methods while the teacher draws attention to important mathematical structures, addresses misconceptions and models efficient approaches.
Children apply the learning through carefully sequenced questions.
Tasks are designed to develop secure understanding and allow pupils to apply the same mathematical idea in increasingly sophisticated ways.
Pupils have opportunities to explain and represent their mathematical thinking.
This may include written explanations, diagrams, bar models, calculations or other representations.
Journalling helps children to make their reasoning visible and gives teachers valuable information about how securely they understand a concept.
Our Mathematics curriculum is designed so that pupils revisit important concepts and develop them with increasing depth and complexity.
Children develop secure foundations in number and calculation.
They learn to:
understand numbers and place value;
compare and order numbers;
develop addition and subtraction;
recognise number bonds and mathematical relationships;
explore multiplication and division through grouping and sharing;
work with simple fractions;
investigate length, mass, volume, time and money;
recognise and describe shapes and position.
Children use practical equipment and visual representations extensively while beginning to record mathematics using symbols.
Children extend their understanding of number and calculation and begin to use increasingly efficient methods.
They learn to:
develop place-value understanding;
add and subtract increasingly complex numbers;
develop multiplication and division;
use and apply multiplication facts;
work with length, mass and temperature;
recognise and work with fractions;
explore money and time;
interpret simple statistics;
develop understanding of 2D and 3D shapes.
Children increasingly explain how they know an answer is correct and compare different strategies.
Children begin to work with larger numbers and more complex mathematical relationships.
They develop:
place value;
increasingly formal addition and subtraction;
multiplication and division;
fractions;
measurement of length, mass and volume;
money and time;
statistics;
angles, lines and properties of shape;
perimeter.
Pupils are expected to make connections between representations and explain the mathematical reasoning behind their methods.
Children deepen their understanding of number and calculation while working with increasingly complex concepts.
They develop:
place value with larger numbers;
addition and subtraction;
multiplication and division;
fractions and decimals;
measures;
money;
area and perimeter;
graphs and data;
geometry;
position and movement;
time.
Children are increasingly expected to select appropriate methods independently and justify their mathematical choices.
Children develop greater fluency with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages.
They learn to work confidently with:
increasingly large numbers;
the four operations;
multi-step problems;
fractions, decimals and percentages;
statistics;
properties of shape;
position and direction;
measurement;
area, perimeter and volume.
Pupils increasingly solve unfamiliar problems by drawing upon different areas of mathematical knowledge.
Children consolidate and extend their mathematical understanding in preparation for Key Stage 3.
They develop confidence with:
place value;
the four operations;
fractions, decimals and percentages;
ratio and proportion;
algebra;
measures and conversion;
perimeter, area and volume;
statistics;
properties of shape;
position and movement;
negative numbers;
complex multi-step problem solving.
By the end of Year 6, pupils are expected to select efficient methods, reason mathematically, identify relationships and explain their thinking using precise mathematical language.
Fluency is an essential part of our Mathematics curriculum.
Children develop secure recall of important number facts and increasingly efficient calculation strategies.
This includes:
number bonds;
additive relationships;
multiplication and division facts;
mental calculation;
written calculation methods;
recognising mathematical structures and patterns.
Fluency is not simply about speed. Pupils need to understand the relationships behind the facts and procedures they use so that they can apply them flexibly.
Children are expected to explain their mathematical thinking throughout the curriculum.
Teachers encourage pupils to:
describe what they notice;
explain how they reached an answer;
justify why a method works;
compare different approaches;
identify patterns and relationships;
prove or disprove mathematical statements;
use accurate mathematical vocabulary.
As pupils progress through school, their explanations become increasingly precise and independent.
Problem solving sits at the heart of the Maths — No Problem! approach.
Pupils are regularly presented with problems that require them to think about which knowledge and strategies they should use.
We want children to develop resilience when they encounter a problem and to understand that successful mathematicians may need to explore several approaches before reaching a solution.
Pupils are encouraged to represent problems in different ways, make connections with previous learning and explain why their solution is reasonable.
Mathematics begins in the Early Years through practical, language-rich experiences.
Children develop early understanding of:
number and quantity;
subitising;
counting and cardinality;
number composition;
comparison;
pattern;
shape and space;
measures.
Mathematical learning takes place through direct teaching, adult interaction, play, routines and continuous provision.
Children are encouraged to notice mathematical relationships, use mathematical language and explain what they see and do.
These experiences provide the secure foundations required for the Mathematics curriculum in Year 1.
Our Mathematics curriculum is ambitious for all pupils.
Children work towards the same important mathematical concepts, with appropriate adaptations used to remove barriers to learning.
These may include:
practical resources and manipulatives;
visual representations;
additional modelling;
carefully structured questions;
smaller steps within a concept;
mathematical vocabulary support;
opportunities for additional guided practice;
revisiting prerequisite knowledge;
alternative ways of explaining or recording mathematical thinking.
Adaptation should support pupils in accessing the intended mathematics rather than replacing it with a permanently reduced curriculum.
Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly are challenged through greater depth, reasoning and increasingly sophisticated problem solving rather than simply being moved prematurely onto content from the next year group.
Assessment takes place throughout teaching.
Teachers use questioning, pupil discussion, practical work, journalling, workbook evidence and assessment activities to establish what pupils understand and where misconceptions remain.
Assessment is used to identify:
whether prerequisite knowledge is secure;
how fluently pupils can use important facts and procedures;
whether pupils understand the mathematics behind a method;
whether pupils can explain and justify their reasoning;
whether they can apply learning independently to unfamiliar problems.
Assessment information is used to adapt teaching, identify pupils who require additional support or challenge and inform future planning.
We want pupils to leave St Willibrord’s with more than the ability to carry out calculations.
They should be able to:
understand mathematical structures and relationships;
calculate accurately and efficiently;
reason and explain their thinking;
solve unfamiliar problems;
choose appropriate strategies;
use mathematical vocabulary confidently;
approach mathematics with resilience and confidence.
Our aim is to give every child the mathematical knowledge and understanding they need for the next stage of their education and for everyday life.
Our year-group curriculum plans show how Mathematics is sequenced throughout the school.