Maths

We follow the White Rose Maths Scheme at Barwick In Elmet Primary School and Nursery.

Our Intent (What we do)

At Barwick in Elmet CE Primary School and Nursery, our intent is to provide all pupils with a high-quality, ambitious and inclusive mathematics curriculum that enables every child to become a confident, fluent and resilient mathematician. We believe that mathematics is essential for everyday life, future learning, and success in the wider world.

Through a carefully sequenced curriculum and a mastery approach, we aim to:

Ensure pupils develop secure conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and the ability to reason mathematically.
Enable all children, including those who are disadvantaged or have SEND, to access age-appropriate content through high-quality, adaptive teaching.
Foster positive attitudes to mathematics so that children approach the subject with curiosity, enjoyment, confidence and perseverance.
Equip children with mathematical vocabulary that enables them to articulate their thinking clearly and precisely.
Provide pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to apply mathematics in real-life situations, supporting problem solving across the curriculum.
Ensure strong foundations in the Early Years so that children are ready for the challenges of the KS1 curriculum, particularly in number, pattern and early calculation.

Our curriculum reflects our school’s values of Love, Peace and Respect, promoting collaborative learning, persistence and mutual support in mathematics.

Our Implementation (How we do what we do)

Our mathematics curriculum is built on the principles of mastery, ensuring small, coherent steps of progression from Nursery through to Year 6.

Curriculum Design

The maths curriculum is sequenced to build knowledge cumulatively, ensuring children revisit, practise and secure essential concepts.
In EYFS, the curriculum follows the Early Learning Goals and Development Matters, with a strong focus on number, numerical patterns and mathematical language.
In KS1 and KS2, the curriculum is aligned with the National Curriculum and delivered through carefully structured units that emphasise conceptual and procedural understanding.

Teaching and Learning

Lessons follow a consistent structure with:
- retrieval practice
- direct teaching and modelling
- guided practice
- independent application
- opportunities for reasoning and problem solving
Concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) approaches support deep understanding for all learners.
Teachers use precise mathematical vocabulary and expect children to do the same.
Adaptive teaching strategies ensure all pupils can access the learning, including through scaffolded tasks, manipulatives, small-group support, or targeted interventions.
Challenge is built into lessons so that pupils deepen their understanding rather than accelerate the curriculum.

Oracy and Reasoning

Children are taught to explain their thinking, justify answers, make connections and use correct mathematical vocabulary.
Stem sentences and sentence starters support structured reasoning, particularly for younger pupils and those with SEND.

Assessment

Ongoing formative assessment is used within every lesson to identify misconceptions and inform immediate adaptation.
Summative assessments provide a wider picture of progress, identifying pupils who require additional support or intervention.
Assessment information is used by teachers and leaders to check curriculum coverage, adjust planning and ensure progress for all.

Interventions

Early intervention is prioritised, particularly for number fluency.
Interventions are targeted, time-limited and linked to classroom teaching.

Additional adults are deployed strategically to maximise impact.

Our Impact (The result of what we do)

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is seen in confident, fluent mathematicians who enjoy the subject and understand its relevance in everyday life.

By the end of each phase, children will:

Demonstrate strong number sense and fluency appropriate to their age.
Show secure conceptual understanding and be able to make connections across mathematical ideas.
Reason mathematically using full sentences and correct vocabulary.
Apply their mathematical knowledge to rich problems, explaining strategies and evaluating solutions.
Make good or better progress from their starting points, including pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged.

In Early Years, children will have:

Secure foundations in number, subitising, pattern and early calculation.
Developed mathematical language and confidence in exploring mathematical ideas through play and direct teaching.
Met the Early Learning Goals for Mathematics where appropriate.

Across school, outcomes in books, lesson visits and assessment data show a consistent mastery approach and high expectations for all learners. Pupils leave Barwick in Elmet CE Primary equipped with the mathematical knowledge, fluency and confidence needed for the next stage of their education and for future life.