Mathematics at Brierley Forest Primary and Nursery School

At Brierley Forest Primary and Nursery School, we believe the basic skills of mathematics are vital for the life opportunities of our children. Our aim is for all children to think mathematically, enabling them to execute basic skills fluently, reason critically and solve problems confidently.

Key features of our Maths curriculum: 

• High expectations for every child.
• Fewer topics, greater depth: Following the overview from Power Maths, each year group completes blocks of learning that give children the time to secure knowledge and skills before moving on to new areas of learning.
• Number sense and place value come first: Learning in each year group begins with blocks focused on number and place value, giving them a secure foundation to build upon when approaching new learning. 
• Fluency is key: By structuring our school timetable to provide daily mathematical fluency practise, we ensure pupils regularly retrieve previous learning and use it with growing accuracy.
• Key number facts are valued: Across the school, pupils compete in a weekly times table challenge and pupils are encouraged to focus on beating previous scores in timed conditions.
• Focus on mathematical reasoning: Giving reasoned justification for choices in maths allows children to think critically and deepen their understanding. We strive to offer all pupils the opportunity to reason daily within maths sessions.
   

Early Development in maths:

In the Early Years Unit, pupils are encouraged to find a love of learning through practical and active maths. In addition to adult led sessions, continuous provision offers our pupils the opportunity to explore number independently through play; an approach also extended into our year 1 provision.

Supporting All Pupils in maths:

We value individualised learning and endeavour to ensure provision for each pupil is tailored to their specific needs. Identified pupils are offered further structured support in mathematics through our targeted Nurture (Busy Bees and Rainbow Room) and Trailblazer sessions. These sessions allow a small group of pupils to work alongside our skilled teaching assistants to address any gaps in learning and to further develop confidence in mathematics.