Numeracy

Numeracy is the development and application of mathematics across the curriculum and in real life situations. Skills in numeracy should help children to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.

In the Foundation Stage, children acquire early mathematical concepts through play-based learning and planned activities that involve sorting, matching, comparing, classifying, and making patterns and sequences.

Our staff enables children to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in:

Number
- Understanding Number
- Counting and Number Recognition
- Understanding Money
Measures
Shape and Space
Sorting
Patterns and Relationships.

Developing mathematical language is fundamental in the Foundation Stage, so children need to be able to talk about their work. By engaging in a wide variety of activities, children begin to understand mathematical language and then use this language to talk about their work.

Teachers should provide opportunities for children to develop mathematical understanding through play and guided mathematical activities. These experiences should encourage children to explore and investigate, do and observe, talk and listen, and ask and answer questions.

In Key Stages 1 and 2 we give children a wider understanding of how the world around them works and prepare them for making decisions, solving problems and processing everyday information.

Our teachers enable children to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in:

Processes in Mathematics
Number
Measures
Shape and Space
Handling Data.

All of these are connected, but Processes in Mathematics is at the heart of all Mathematics and Numeracy learning. These processes focus on how children learn rather than on the content that they cover.

Children should have opportunities to develop their Cross-Curricular Skills of Communication, Using Mathematics and Using ICT, and their Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities through Mathematics and Numeracy.

Throughout their time in primary school, our children engage in a wide range of purposeful activities which involves them in different modes of mathematical learning, including playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening, asking questions, reflecting, drafting, reading and recording.

In Kesh Primary School we work hard to achieve the expectations of numeracy teaching outlined by the Curriculum.

Through out the school our pupils have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities, helping to reinforce and build on their learning, both independently and co- operatively.

We recognise the importance and value of mental maths and spend time supporting pupils' learning and development of strategies.

They take an active role in their own learning participating in practical activities, requiring problem solving and decision making.

In school we follow the Collins Busy Ant Maths scheme. It is a progressive scheme which allows pupils to explore the range of mathematical concepts across the curriculum, in a practical way. It supports the Mastery approach which is embedded throughout the entire scheme.

Busy Ant Maths Pupil Books and Activity Books ensure that all pupils work on the same topic and the same National Curriculum objective.

All pupils are capable of achieving high standards in mathematics
Pupils progress through the curriculum at the same pace
Methodical curriculum design with carefully crafted resources to foster deep conceptual and procedural knowledge
Practice and Consolidation play a central role with precise questioning and is used regularly to assess pupils' conceptual and procedural knowledge.