Mathematics is important in everyday life. It is integral to all aspects of life and with this in mind, St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School endeavours to ensure that children develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will remain with them through life. We are committed to ensuring that children recognise the importance of Mathematics in the wider world and that they are able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy Mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically, as well as a curiosity and appreciation of its beauty and power.
St Bartholomew’s C of E Primary School shares the aims of the national curriculum for mathematics (2014) by ensuring that all pupils:
- 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.
At St Bart’s’ these skills are embedded within lessons and developed consistently over time. Children are taught to become competent and independent mathematicians. We want pupils to build a deep understanding of concepts which will enable them to apply their learning in different situations, rather than simply learning procedures by rote. Through mathematical talk, children will develop the ability to articulate, discuss and explain their thinking. Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between different models and representations of mathematical ideas.