Mathematics at Knights Enham Nursery and Infant School

Intent

At Knights Enham Nursery and Infant School it is our intention that all our children develop into confident mathematicians that will enable them to successfully access the next stage of their learning at KS2 and ultimately to leave full time education with the tools needed to operate as independent adults in their communities. A fluency with number and calculation together with a competency in problem solving and reasoning will lead to improved life chances and secure financial futures. We truly want our children to be the best they can be and have a can-do attitude to their learning. We want children to know that mistakes are part of the process of learning and we will provide rich opportunities for them to make sense of the maths through explaining and reasoning together. Our curriculum will develop children’s problem-solving skills including pattern spotting and being systematic. We believe that children learn best when tasks are scaffolded and deepened using manipulatives and visual representations alongside more abstract recording to ensure access and success for all.

Implementation

Our curriculum is based on the HIAS scheme for learning (2023) and provides full coverage of the national curriculum.

In order to provide a consistent structure to our maths lessons, each lesson begins with teacher modelling and pupil practice using the ‘I, We, You’ approach. This is our first opportunity to check for understanding and adapt our teaching to suit the needs of the pupils.

Pupils engage in collaborative and independent tasks that endeavour to utilise their interests to maximise engagement and learning outcomes. Concepts are securely embedded through the use of manipulatives including base 10 materials, Numicon and every-day objects. We also use real-life scenarios such as going shopping so that the children understand the importance of maths in our everyday lives.

Children then explore concepts and share their understanding through the use of pictures, for example, they might draw an explanation. Once these concepts are secure, the children will learn how to use abstract symbols such as + or = to represent an idea. This CPA approach is used throughout the whole school. Every class has a maths trolley with appropriate resources for their stage of development.

We seek to provide opportunities to use maths in other areas of the curriculum where appropriate, for example reading scales in science or counting beats in music. The children have regular Maths Bursts, these are shorter maths tasks to support recall and retrieval of prior learning.

Mathematical talk for learning is a regular feature of lessons so that children acquire a subject specific vocabulary that enables them to communicate their thinking, supporting reasoning and collaborative problem-solving.

Outcomes and attainment are captured and tracked using the Insight Tracking tool. This enables us to assess progress and adapt teaching accordingly.

Our Nursery and Foundation Stage curriculum prepares children to access and achieve the KS1 objectives. Children explore mathematical ideas through play, this might be counting to make sure there are plates for snack-time or selecting shapes with which to build a car. Continuous Provision both inside and outside maximises mathematical opportunities through carefully chosen tasks and resources. Staff use Tapestry to capture learning and plan next steps for the children. In Nursery the children also count on a daily basis, sing number rhymes and take part in a weekly adult-led maths activity.

Impact

The impact of maths teaching and learning at Knights Enham Nursery and Infant will enable pupils to maximise their mathematical knowledge and prepare them for the next stage in learning having made age-appropriate progress or better. Attainment at the end of Foundation Stage will reflect children’s starting points and securely prepare them for access to the KS1 curriculum. End of KS1 attainment will similarly reflect secure learning journeys where pupils make good progress with their mathematics and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.