At Church Lench First School, we believe through our vision of “For with God, nothing is impossible”, that every child can achieve success in mathematics through high-quality teaching, appropriate challenge and a secure understanding of mathematical concepts. Our mathematics curriculum is designed to develop confident, resilient learners who are able to apply their mathematical knowledge fluently and accurately in a range of contexts.

Mathematics is taught daily across the school, ensuring that pupils have regular opportunities to develop and embed their understanding. In Key Stage 2 (Years 2 to 5), White Rose Maths is used as the primary teaching resource, providing a coherent and progressive curriculum. In Key Stage 1, including Year R and Year 1, teachers use their own schema to ensure that the required content is taught in a way that best meets the needs of the children. In Year R, this includes a strong emphasis on play-based learning to help children consolidate new concepts and develop a secure foundation in mathematics. Year R also benefits from explicit teaching opportunities, such as “number of the week,” which are designed to deepen understanding and strengthen early mathematical knowledge.

Teachers are encouraged to adapt and supplement resources where necessary to best meet the needs of their classes and to ensure that learning is engaging, accessible and appropriately challenging for all pupils.

Our teaching approach follows the concrete–pictorial–abstract model. Manipulatives and practical resources are used extensively to help pupils develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts before moving towards more abstract representations. This enables children to build secure conceptual understanding and make meaningful connections between different areas of mathematics.

Lessons are structured to develop mathematical fluency before progressing to reasoning and problem-solving activities. Pupils first practise and secure key skills and procedures, before being challenged to explain their thinking, justify their methods and apply their knowledge to increasingly complex problems. This approach promotes deeper understanding and develops pupils' confidence in tackling unfamiliar mathematical situations.

Assessment is an integral part of our mathematics provision. Regular formative assessment takes place within lessons, allowing teachers to identify misconceptions, adapt teaching and provide timely support where required. Summative assessments are undertaken in the spring term for pupils in Years 2 to 5 and in the summer term for pupils in Years 1 to 5. The outcomes of these assessments are carefully analysed to identify strengths and areas for development, enabling teachers to revisit and reinforce key concepts where necessary and benchmark progress against other schools.

A spiral curriculum approach is used to ensure that previously taught concepts are revisited regularly. This supports long-term retention and allows pupils to make connections between different areas of mathematics, building on prior knowledge and strengthening understanding over time.

The development of multiplication knowledge is a key priority within our curriculum. Multiplication is taught systematically from Year 2 to Year 5, with weekly testing used to monitor progress and support the rapid recall of multiplication facts (in Year 4 this is consolidated by the national MTC tests). This strong foundation enables pupils to access more advanced mathematical concepts with confidence and efficiency.

Through our mathematics curriculum, we aim to develop pupils who are fluent in mathematical procedures, capable of reasoning mathematically and confident in solving problems. We strive to equip all children with the mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding they need to succeed both in school and in their future lives.