Mathematics

At St. Alban's, we first and foremost aim to foster a love of maths. We want our children to see that maths has a purpose within their own lives and in the world around them. We aim to develop confident and fluent mathematicians, who are resilient, not afraid to make mistakes and who can explain their thinking and processes clearly using appropriate mathematical vocabulary. Children are given opportunities to be active during maths lessons and to frequently take maths learning outside.

A mastery approach is at the heart of all maths teaching from Nursery through to Year 6. This approach means that we believe that all children can achieve mathematically and that no ceiling should be put on their learning. Knowledge of maths topics is gained through a concrete, pictorial, abstract approach, where children are given opportunities to use a range of manipulatives to develop real depth of understanding. Both concrete and pictorial representations support understanding of abstract methods.

Within maths lessons, children are taught a range of skills which enable them to become fluent mathematicians. Once mastered, they are able to apply what they have learnt to reason and problem solve in line with national expectations or above. Opportunities for further challenge and to go 'even deeper' are provided through more open ended investigations so that children can achieve the highest levels and become true 'mathemagicians'!