Maths

Maths Intent, Implementation & Impact

Intent

The intent of our Mathematics curriculum is to ignite pupils’ curiosity about the subject and to inspire a lifelong confidence and enjoyment in mathematical thinking. We aim to provide a rich, engaging, and coherent mathematics programme that allows children to:

• Develop a deep understanding of number, pattern, and relationships within mathematics.
• Build fluency in key mathematical concepts, enabling them to recall and apply knowledge with accuracy and efficiency.
• Foster reasoning and problem-solving skills by encouraging pupils to explain their thinking, make connections, and explore different strategies.
• Recognise the importance of mathematics in everyday life and across other areas of learning, promoting a sense of purpose and relevance.
• Develop resilience, perseverance, and a positive attitude towards challenge through a growth mindset approach to learning mathematics.

In Early Years, our intent is to provide a strong foundation for mathematical understanding through practical, play-based experiences. We encourage children to explore number, shape, space, and measure in meaningful contexts that relate to their everyday lives. Through hands-on activities, songs, games, and guided exploration, children begin to develop early number sense, pattern recognition, and spatial awareness. This establishes the building blocks for more formal mathematical learning in Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Implementation

To achieve our intent, we implement a dynamic and engaging Mathematics curriculum that is well-structured and sequentially designed. Key elements include:

• Curriculum Design

We have developed a clear progression framework that builds on prior knowledge, ensuring that pupils develop a deep and secure understanding of mathematical concepts from Early Years through to Year 6. Learning is carefully sequenced to cover key areas of number, calculation, geometry, measures, and statistics, while promoting fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

In Early Years, children develop early mathematical understanding through play, exploration, and discussion. They learn to recognise patterns, compare quantities, and use mathematical language in everyday contexts, forming the foundation for later learning.

• Teaching Strategies

Teaching is characterised by a range of interactive strategies, including practical activities, mathematical investigations, games, and discussions that promote engagement and deepen understanding.

We emphasise the use of concrete, pictorial, and abstract approaches (CPA model), ensuring pupils build strong conceptual understanding before moving to formal methods.

Teachers model clear mathematical thinking, encouraging pupils to explain their reasoning and make connections between different areas of mathematics.

• Experiential Learning

Real-life contexts and cross-curricular links are embedded within our maths curriculum, helping pupils to see the relevance of mathematics in the world around them.

Problem-solving projects and investigations encourage creativity, collaboration, and application of knowledge to new situations.

In Early Years, children explore mathematical ideas through hands-on experiences such as counting in the environment, measuring during play, and sorting everyday objects.

• Adaptive Teaching

We employ adaptive teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of all learners, ensuring that pupils of varying abilities can access the curriculum effectively.

Lessons are differentiated through scaffolding, targeted questioning, flexible grouping, and the use of manipulatives to support or extend learning as appropriate.

Challenge is provided through reasoning and open-ended problem-solving tasks that deepen understanding and promote mathematical curiosity.

• Assessment and Feedback

Formative assessments are regularly conducted to monitor pupils’ understanding and progress. Feedback is constructive, timely, and focused on helping pupils identify next steps and improve accuracy and reasoning.

Opportunities for retrieval practice are embedded to help pupils revisit and consolidate key concepts over time.

Summative assessments track progress against national curriculum expectations, allowing teachers to identify gaps and provide tailored support or extension where necessary.

Impact

The impact of our mathematics curriculum is measured through various outcomes and indicators:

• Pupil Engagement and Enthusiasm

Observations demonstrate high levels of engagement and enthusiasm in mathematics lessons. Pupils are curious, motivated, and resilient when exploring mathematical concepts, showing confidence to tackle challenges and explain their reasoning.

Pupils develop a positive attitude to learning, seeing themselves as capable mathematicians, which supports the school’s ambition to foster confident and independent learners.

• Knowledge Retention and Understanding

Assessment information indicates that pupils consistently achieve age-related expectations, with many exceeding them. Pupils demonstrate secure retention of key concepts and the ability to apply their knowledge fluently in a range of contexts.

Learning is sequenced carefully to build on prior knowledge, ensuring pupils make strong connections across topics and retain essential mathematical skills as they progress through the school.

• Skills Development

Pupils leave St Thomas’ with highly developed mathematical skills, including reasoning, problem-solving, and the ability to communicate their thinking effectively using precise mathematical language. This prepares them well for secondary education and life beyond school.

In Early Years, children exhibit emerging mathematical skills through play, exploration, and practical activities. They begin to use mathematical language, identify patterns, and develop early number sense in meaningful contexts.

• Mathematical Thinking and Real-World Application

Pupils develop strong mathematical thinking and can apply their learning to real-life situations, making links between mathematics and the wider world.

This develops essential life skills and supports pupils’ personal development, reflecting the school’s intent to provide a broad and ambitious curriculum that equips all learners for future success.

• Community Involvement

The curriculum encourages engagement with the wider community through maths-related events, challenges, and collaborative projects, making learning relevant and meaningful.

Pupils experience the practical application of mathematics in real-world contexts, which reinforces understanding and strengthens community connections, supporting the development of well-rounded, responsible citizens.

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In summary, the intent, implementation, and impact of our mathematics curriculum ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education that is ambitious, coherent, and carefully sequenced. It enables learners to achieve highly, retain knowledge, apply skills confidently, and develop the resilience, curiosity, and confidence to succeed in future learning and life.

Overview of Maths

EYFS

Six Key Areas of Early Mathematics Learning:

Key Stages One and Two

Progression of Skills in Maths

Nursery Outcomes 

By the end of Nursery, children:

• Can count objects to at least 5.
• Understand more/less/same.
• Recognise and name basic shapes.
• Use informal measures (big/small, long/short).
• Begin to talk about patterns and spatial relationships.

Reception - Main Aims

• Achieve a deep understanding of numbers to 10.
• Secure counting, comparing, and composition skills.
• Develop automatic recall of number bonds to 5 and some to 10.
• Explore shape, space, and measure through reasoning and talk.

Year 1

Focus: Building number sense within 20 and basic operations

Key skills:

• Count, read, write numbers to 100.
• Understand place value (tens and ones).
• Add and subtract within 20.
• Begin with doubles and number bonds.
• Introduce multiplication and division as repeated addition and sharing.
• Recognise halves and quarters of shapes and small quantities.
• Understand time (o’clock, half past), money (coins), length, height, weight.

Year 2

Focus: Extending number understanding and fluency to 100

Key skills:

• Place value up to 100 and beyond.
• Addition and subtraction with regrouping (up to 100).
• Multiplication and division (2, 5, 10 times tables).
• Simple fractions (½, ⅓, ¼, ⅔, ¾).
• Understand odd and even numbers.
• Measures: length (m/cm), mass (kg/g), capacity (l/ml), time to 5 minutes.
• Simple picture graphs and bar charts.

Year 3

Focus: Multiplication, division, and fractions

Key skills:

• Place value up to 1,000.
• Column addition and subtraction.
• Multiplication and division facts for 2–10 tables.
• Fractions as part of a whole and of a set; equivalent fractions.
• Introduction to area and perimeter.
• Telling time to the nearest minute.
• Bar charts and pictograms (scales of 2, 5, 10).

Year 4

Focus: Deepening understanding of number and introducing decimals

Key skills:

• Place value up to 10,000.
• Fluency in all multiplication/division facts to 12×12.
• Column methods for +, –, ×, ÷ (including short division).
• Fractions: equivalent, simplifying, and adding/subtracting fractions with like denominators.
• Decimals: tenths and hundredths; link to money and measures.
• Geometry: classify shapes, symmetry, angles.
• Time: convert between hours/minutes, analogue/digital.
• Interpret discrete and continuous data.

Year 5

Focus: Extending place value and working with larger numbers and decimals

Key skills:

• Place value up to 1,000,000; rounding.
• Multi-step problems using all operations.
• Fractions: add/subtract unlike denominators; multiply fractions by whole numbers.
• Decimals and percentages: equivalence, rounding, and comparisons.
• Negative numbers in context.
• Measure: convert units, perimeter, area, and volume.
• Geometry: angles, reflection, translation.
• Line graphs and tables.

Year 6

Focus: Mastery and application across all strands

Key skills:

• Place value up to 10,000,000; rounding and negative numbers.
• Multi-step calculations and order of operations (BODMAS).
• Fractions: multiply/divide fractions by fractions and whole numbers.
• Decimals and percentages: conversion, comparison, and problem solving.
• Ratio and proportion.
• Algebra: simple expressions, formulae, sequences.
• Geometry: properties of shapes, angles, coordinates, nets of 3D shapes.
• Statistics: line graphs, pie charts, mean.

Maths in the Early Years

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), mathematics is rooted in hands-on exploration, meaningful play, and real-life application. Following the White Rose Maths approach, the focus is on developing deep conceptual understanding, number sense, and a love of learning through practical experiences. Children engage with mathematical ideas in ways that are developmentally appropriate, engaging, and meaningful.

In Nursery, mathematical development is primarily led through exploration and interaction with manipulatives and the environment. Children handle, sort, compare, and count real objects in their play, developing early number sense through sensory and physical experiences such as filling containers, building towers, or matching socks. Practitioners support this with targeted language, questions, and enhanced provision. Concrete manipulatives—like natural materials, sorting trays, and puzzles—help embed foundational understanding of number, shape, and measure.

In Reception, maths becomes more structured, with focused adult-led inputs introducing key concepts such as counting, subitising, number composition, and comparing quantities. These are reinforced through small group tasks and continuous provision. Children use resources such as Numicon, cubes, ten-frames, and number tracks to support and deepen understanding. Subitising and exploring number bonds are key to building fluency and number sense.

Outdoor play is a rich context for applying and embedding maths. Children might count jumps, compare the height of towers, measure water, or follow maps. Teachers plan meaningful outdoor maths opportunities using real-life contexts, encouraging active exploration and reasoning.

Shape, space, and measure are embedded through block play, construction, puzzles, and sensory activities. Children explore shape properties, spatial reasoning, and measurement through everyday experiences. Pattern is a key focus, often explored with natural or creative materials.

Talk and reasoning underpin all mathematical development. Children are encouraged to explain their thinking and explore problem-solving strategies. Adults model and encourage the use of mathematical vocabulary and stem sentences such as, “I know there are six because I see three and three.”

The White Rose EYFS curriculum is carefully sequenced, balancing adult-led teaching with independent exploration. Stories such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Rosie’s Walk are used to introduce key mathematical ideas through familiar contexts.

Ongoing assessment ensures children develop secure understanding rather than rushing through content. By the end of Reception, children are expected to meet the Early Learning Goals for Number and Numerical Patterns. More importantly, they leave EYFS with confidence, strong number sense, and a positive attitude toward maths.

Achievements & Celebrations in Maths

Maths Newsletters