Mathematics
Intent
At Egerton Primary School, we believe mathematics is a creative, interconnected, and essential discipline. Our aim is for every child to develop strong fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, building a solid foundation from the very start of their education. We want children to develop a love of learning in mathematics, enjoy exploring ideas, and approach challenges with curiosity and confidence.
Mathematics at Egerton equips pupils with the tools to understand and make sense of the world around them, from everyday problem-solving to complex abstract thinking. We aim to foster resilience and a growth mindset, so children persevere through challenges, learn from mistakes, and build confidence in their abilities.
Our curriculum is inclusive and ambitious, ensuring all pupils, including those with SEND, can access rich, engaging mathematical experiences. Through a spiral curriculum and a focus on reasoning, fluency, and problem-solving, children are prepared to apply their mathematical knowledge across the wider curriculum and in real-life contexts, nurturing lifelong curiosity and appreciation for mathematics.
Implementation
Mathematics is taught daily, covering number and place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, geometry, measurement, statistics, decimals, and percentages. Lessons encourage children to make meaningful connections across concepts, promoting fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, while also enabling the application of maths across science, computing, and real-world contexts.
We use Maths No Problem (MNP) as our core teaching resource, which provides a structured, flexible approach using concrete, pictorial, and abstract (CPA) representations and problem-solving challenges. Lessons typically follow five stages:
- Exploration – Children investigate a central problem (anchor task) using concrete resources, models, or strategies of their choice. Teachers observe and assess, allowing independence and experimentation.
- Structured Discussion – Teachers lead class discussions to share methods, address misconceptions, and deepen understanding. Targeted questioning encourages children to explain why and how they solve problems.
- Practice – Includes guided practice in pairs and independent practice in workbooks. Questions are carefully varied to consolidate learning and challenge thinking. Activity Times and Mind Challenges further extend understanding and encourage greater depth thinking.
- Journalling – It allows children to articulate their mathematical thinking and develop communication skills. Types include:
- Descriptive Journals – Explain methods or concepts.
- Evaluative Journals – Make judgments and justify choices.
- Creative Journals – Develop stories or create new problems.
- Investigative Journals – Record findings from exploration.
- Formative Journals – Support assessment and reflection.
Journals help teachers identify misconceptions, assess depth of understanding, and encourage original thinking. Master examples in the textbooks guide pupils on clear presentation using bar models, tables, and drawings. Journalling can start with class journals in Reception and progress to individual journals in later years.
- Reading – Children read textbook content to validate explorations, reflect on effective methods, and model clear ways to present mathematical thinking.
A key feature of our curriculum is the spiral approach: mathematical concepts are revisited and built upon year after year. For example, children begin by counting, reading, and writing numbers in Year 1 and progressively explore larger numbers, complex calculations, fractions, decimals, and percentages through to Year 6. Multiplication, division, measurement, geometry, and problem-solving are repeatedly developed in increasing depth, ensuring secure long-term understanding and fluency.
Supporting SEND Pupils
Egerton’s maths curriculum is designed to be inclusive, supporting children with a wide range of Special Educational Needs (SEND). MNP provides:
- Whole-class collaborative learning and scaffolded support.
- Flexible progression through CPA representations.
- Journalling and reading to help SEND pupils articulate understanding.
- Visual clarity and accessible materials to aid focus and comprehension.
Assessment
It is integrated throughout the curriculum to monitor understanding and inform teaching. This includes:
- Ongoing formative assessment through observations, questioning, and journal entries.
- End-of-unit workbook revisions to consolidate learning.
- End-of-term summative tests to assess progress and attainment across key concepts.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are confident mathematicians who reason logically, solve complex problems, and make connections across mathematical concepts. They apply skills across the curriculum and in real-life contexts, communicate their thinking effectively, and demonstrate resilience when tackling new challenges. The structured MNP approach, spiral curriculum, inclusive strategies, journalling, and rigorous assessment ensure high standards for all pupils, including SEND learners and those working at greater depth. Pupils leave Egerton motivated, curious, and fully prepared to continue their mathematical learning at secondary school and beyond.