The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at Ashmount

The National Curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure 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.

Students at Ashmount receive a personalised Math’s Curriculum which is repetitive yet varied in order to develop mastery whilst maintaining motivation, interest and purpose.

The teaching and learning of Maths provides our students with fun and enjoyable ways of exploring, investigating and understanding the world around them. All students experience and participate in work taken from the National Curriculum that may cover the following areas, according to the students' age and ability: number and place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, measurement (including decimals and percentages), properties of shapes, geometry - position and direction, algebra and statistics. Maths can play an important role in developing and extending students’ problem solving, turn-taking and fine and gross motor skills too.

A broad range of computing activities are offered to support students with their Maths skills, including the use of interactive whiteboards, touch screens, switches and a range of software.

Students in our Early Years Foundation Stage experience Maths through creative play and discovery.

Our students working in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 are organised into groups according to age and ability to enable us to provide targeted support and resources in developing and extending their basic numeracy skills.

Students in Key Stages 4 and 5 continue to consolidate the numeracy skills they have learnt in practical situations around school and in the wider community. This can include making visits to the local shops; using timetables and schedules to plan a bus journey or plan their evening’s television viewing; or carefully measuring out the ingredients of a recipe to prepare their own meal.

Students’ progress is shared with parents and carers by means of their Tapestry online Learning Journey.