Mathematics

"What makes math special is that it’s a universal language — a powerful tool with the same meaning across the globe."

Mathematics teaches children how to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems.

During their time at Little Saplings Nursery and Mossgate Primary School, we want children to be confident in making connections across mathematical ideas, as a result of developing fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

Our mathematical aims for children are to :

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately

• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language

• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

How does the maths curriculum set out the sequence and structure of how we will teach the knowledge and skills?

At Mossgate and Little Saplings Nursery , we follow the EYFS Framework and National Curriculum, which sequences and structures the teaching into year groups. We have used these to produce a progression of learning for each strand of maths across each year group.

From Year 1 to Year 6, classes follow the Red Rose Mastery Scheme .The curriculum is spiral in that each mathematical concept is repeatedly revisited throughout the year for example an aspect of place value is taught every term, in all year groups.

The key learning for each year group is set out below for each aspect of Mathematics.

What does Mathematics look like in Little Saplings Nursery and EYFS ?

At Little Saplings Nursery, we believe that early maths learning grows naturally from children’s play, curiosity, and real‑life experiences. Instead of formal lessons, we weave maths into the moments that matter most to young children—exploration, discovery, and hands‑on fun.

Throughout the day, children engage in meaningful activities that introduce key mathematical ideas. They might count leaves in the nature area, sort objects by colour or size at tidy up times, create simple patterns, or explore concepts like capacity and volume while pouring sand & water in our outdoor kitchen. These playful experiences help children build confidence in number, shape, pattern, and measurement in a way that feels enjoyable and instinctive.

Our team supports this learning by modelling clear mathematical language—words like “bigger,” “smaller,” “many,” “few,” “next,” and “the same.” We also encourage problem‑solving through real situations, such as sharing snacks fairly, comparing objects, or working out how to build a stable tower.

At Little Saplings Nursery, maths is all around us. By embedding it into the children’s everyday world, we help them develop strong foundations, curiosity, and a positive attitude towards learning that will continue to grow as they do.

We also develop children’s mathematical understanding through carefully chosen storybooks that introduce concepts of number, pattern, shape, space, and measures in meaningful, engaging ways. At Little Saplings Nursery, children enjoy daily maths storytime sessions where stories are brought to life with props, pictures, and opportunities to join in. These sessions often include well‑loved number rhymes such as “Five Currant Buns” and “Five Little Ducks,” which help children practise counting forwards and backwards, recognise patterns, and understand simple addition and subtraction. Through repeated exposure to mathematical ideas in stories and songs, children build deep understanding, confidence, and a positive relationship with early maths.

Young children are naturally curious—counting steps, sorting toys, noticing patterns—so we build on this curiosity through playful, practical experiences in our EYFS Reception class. Our goal is to help children develop strong early number skills, confidence, and a love of learning.

Reception maths focuses on helping children build strong foundations in number, shape, space, and measure through play‑based, practical, hands-on learning.

Mathematics in the EYFS is taught through a balanced combination of play-based exploration, practical activities, and carefully structured adult-led learning. Children build early number sense by engaging with meaningful, hands-on experiences such as counting real objects, sorting and matching, exploring patterns, and using manipulatives to represent quantities. Teachers model mathematical language throughout the day, encouraging children to talk about their thinking and make connections between numbers, shape, space, and measure.

Opportunities for maths are apart of daily routines—for example, counting at register time, comparing quantities during tidy-up, or discussing shapes in the environment—allowing children to apply their understanding in real-life contexts. Continuous provision is thoughtfully planned to promote curiosity, problem-solving, and independent exploration, while adult interactions help extend learning and introduce new concepts at developmentally appropriate levels.

Overall, mathematics teaching in Reception supports children in developing confidence, early reasoning skills, and a secure foundation for their future learning.

What does Mathematics look like in Years 1 to 6?

Maths teaching across Year 1 to year 6 follows the Red Rose Mastery scheme.

Our Mastery approach to maths teaching focusses on 5 key principles :

1. Coherence:

Lessons are broken down into small - connected steps that gradually unfold the concept, providing access for all children and leading to a generalisation of the concept and the ability to apply the concept to a range of contexts.

2. Variation:

An important aspect of our approach is the use of ‘variation’ (the sequence and the way the maths is represented) when carefully planning and designing the children’s learning.  We believe that it is important that the children experience maths in a broad range of contexts and representations to help them to develop a deeper understanding and to make connections in their learning.  This supports the children to become flexible thinkers and more confidently apply their skills and knowledge to solve problems. 

3. Mathematical Thinking:

Reasoning provides an opportunity for the children to talk or write about the maths they are using, patterns they observe or general rules they have learnt and applied.  This again helps the children to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical ideas and to more confidently explain their thinking. 

4. Fluency:

We also support the children to develop their mathematical fluency.  This encompasses a number of different ideas including the quick and efficient recall of number facts (such as number bonds or times tables) to having the ability to choose efficient methods and strategies when solving a problem. All lessons begin with a short starter activity for retrieval practice and develop long-term memory.

5. Representation and Structure:

When learning, we recognise how important it is that the children use practical resources and pictorial representations, before proceeding to more abstract ideas . The CPA approach is used at Mossgate, whereby children experience learning through :

Concrete – children have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand and explain what they are doing.

Pictorial – children then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations, which can then be used to reason and solve problems.

Abstract – With the foundations firmly laid, children can then move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.

Children are taught through clear modelling and have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts.

Within the lesson structure, there is flexibility for the class teacher to tailor their teaching to the needs of the children in their class.  For example, during the guided and independent learning, some children may be supported in different ways while others may be challenged through differentiated activities.

A typical Maths lesson across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 will encompass the following:

• Prior learning and key strategies are revisited regularly

• New methods are modelled clearly by the teacher

• Children are supported through guided practice

• Pupils then work independently to apply their new learning

• Pupils work will include variation, reasoning and problem solving

The teaching sequence for each year group is found below.

How do we teach the four operations?

How is Mathematical Vocabulary taught?

Times Tables

Knowing times tables facts is crucially important to your child’s progression in their mathematics education. Without a thorough understanding of multiplication and division facts, children frequently get ‘lost’ when it comes to doing anything with fractions and any multiplication or division with larger numbers. Many mental maths activities and tests require a quick recall of multiplication and division facts.

Children who are secure in their times tables knowledge are able to get to grips with trickier tasks straight away and are far more successful.

At Mossgate we have a times table awards scheme where children from Year 2 upwards can gain badges when they have successfully mastered their times tables .

The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is a compulsory assessment that the Government has introduced for all pupils in Year 4. The test is administered in June. Parents will be notified when this will take place.

The MTC is an online assessment that has been designed to assess whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help schools to identify pupils who have not yet mastered their times tables, so that additional support can be provided.

The MTC is an on-screen check consisting of 25 times tables questions, which means it will be completed on a computer. Your child will answer 3 practice questions before moving on to the official check and will then have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete. When it comes to times tables, speed AND accuracy are important. The more facts your child remembers, the easier it is for them to do harder calculations.

How do Maths display’s support children’s learning?

In classrooms, staff use mathematics working walls which act as a "living" record of the current learning journey which teachers and students build together during lessons. . These are interactive, evolving classroom displays designed to support, scaffold, and enhance student learning in real-time, rather than simply showcasing finished work. Here are some examples:

What are the outcomes of our maths curriculum for pupils?

"Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding." — William Paul Thurston.

As Mossgate Mathematicians, we want children to:

• Be confident and have a positive attitude towards the learning and use of Mathematics, making every experience enjoyable.

• Understand the importance of Mathematics in everyday life, especially in relation to essential skills, such completing calculations, telling the time, using money and understanding tables and charts.

• Have the flexibility and fluidity to move between different contexts and representations of mathematics.

• Clearly explain their reasoning and justify their thought processes.

• Take risks and recognise that mistakes and errors mean we are being challenged and learning something new.

• Be resilient and persevere when reasoning across the curriculum.

• Choose efficient strategies, both mental and written, when calculating.

• Quickly recall number facts

•  Be confident with complex numbers and the number system

• Solve problems through connecting ideas, decision-making and applying their mathematical skills in a range of contexts, both practical and investigative.

• Recognise relationships and make connections in mathematics.

• Reason by following a line of enquiry, developing an argument and making justifications using mathematical language.

• Display a sound practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered, presented and used.

What do our children think about Maths ?

Helen Taylor - Mathematics Subject Leader