In the learning of mathematics at FCJ Primary School, children are encouraged  to expand their curiosity and develop their knowledge and understanding through practical activities, exploration and discussion. We aim to prepare the children at FCJ for a world that does not yet exist. There will be jobs, technologies and problems that we just can’t perceive yet. This is why it is essential for our children to become problem-solvers that can reason; mathematics is an incredibly strong vehicle to do this with.

 We aim for all children to develop a range of mental fluency strategies and then apply them to a range of new or unfamiliar problems. These are the fundamentals for mathematics and will help the children’s ability to recall and apply previous knowledge effectively and accurately. Children are encouraged to look at the ‘how’ and ‘why’ a calculation can be solved instead of purely focusing on the answer. Through this deeper exploration of mathematical concepts, we better prepare children for the next steps on their learning journey. 

E-books and working walls in classrooms enable the children to work independently and use them to support their learning. Each topic also links with an essential skill. This is the overarching curriculum aim with individual learning steps that children can achieve by the end of the unit.

 Through the ‘Thrive in 5’ activities at the start of the lesson, children are able to recap previous learning and challenge themselves with their next steps.  Children are confident to reason mathematically, justifying and convincing through written, pictorial or concrete responses.

Pupils make connections with prior learning and work collaboratively with their peers to communicate their findings in a convincing way. Children are encouraged to work collaboratively and share their most efficient strategies with each other.

At FCJ, the children in key stage 2 have access to Times Table Rockstars. This is an app where they can practise their times tables in a fun and interactive way. They can compete against their friends and are able to go up the ranks and become a rock hero. The children love this activity as they can practise their times tables with their friends both at home and school.

The children across the whole school work towards a series of badges linking to particular areas of their mathematical understanding. All of the children thoroughly enjoy this as it is a great achievement to gain a badge and they are very proud of all their hard work. The children in year 1 will begin by working on their number bonds to 20. Once the children have achieved this badge, they then begin learning their multiplication tables.

 After this, it is important all children then deepen their understanding of both of these skills by applying this knowledge to a variety of different situations. We aim to give our children the necessary strategies they need to tackle new problems that they encounter. Children challenge themselves and are always striving for excellence as well as supporting each other to achieve the best that they can. The children love celebrating their achievements and their general learning in mathematics lessons. We plan for and create cross-curricular links to show the children the importance and beauty of mathematics. This could be through art or music to name a few.

 At FCJ, we create an environment that promotes the love of learning mathematics and inspires children to challenge themselves, striving to achieve their own version of excellence in each mathematics lesson.