At Fleet Infant School, our teaching of mathematics is based on a mastery approach in the belief that every child is capable of success.

Our Curriculum Intent for Maths

We believe that every child can achieve in maths and it is our responsibility as teachers to provide the environment and experiences to make this possible.  We believe that every child is a capable mathematician with the ability to reason and problem solve.  Problem solving and reasoning are at the heart of our curriculum, built on foundations of exploration and discovery in early years.  We encourage and teach children to make links between old and new learning experiences in order to develop fluency and build a deeper understanding of their maths.  Opportunities for reasoning, exploration and clarification are provided through talk, problem solving and guided reasoning. 

At Fleet Infant School, every child in every classroom is encouraged and supported to have an “I can solve anything” attitude and to develop perseverance and resilience through the philosophy of ‘learning tools’. Our intention is that they will enjoy their learning and develop into confident and competent mathematicians.

Implementation 

Mathematics is taught daily across the school using the Hampshire HIAS planning framework, which is carefully adapted by teachers to meet the needs of their cohorts. This is enriched with NCTEM mastery materials, NRICH investigations, and reasoning tasks that develop children’s depth of understanding.

We follow a systematic approach grounded in the concrete - pictorial – abstract (CPA) model. Children use a wide range of manipulatives, images and jottings to support their thinking before progressing to formal written methods, at a developmentally appropriate stage. Our calculation policy ensures consistency and progression across the year groups.

Maths teaching includes:

- Whole class lessons with fluid groupings based on ongoing assessment

- Guided reasoning sessions to develop mathematical language and justification

- Maths stories and cross-curricular links to make maths meaningful

- A morning maths carousel in Key Stage One to practice and reinforce mental skills

Assessment is ongoing and responsive. Teachers use entry and exit tickets at the start and at the end of a unit of work, and careful observations of learning throughout, to inform planning and next steps. This allows for flexibility in grouping and ensures all children are appropriately challenged and supported. All children are able to choose 'chilli challenges' to revisit and consolidate previous learning as an extension activity. We provide targeted support through pre-teaching, interventions, live marking, and timely rethinks where misconceptions arise.

Progression is secured through:

- Use of the HIAS progression maps

- The Hampshire Assessment Model

- A clear, structured mental maths progression pathway

- Regular in-school moderation

Impact

Children at Fleet Infant School develop strong number sense, perseverance, and a growing confidence in applying their knowledge. They enjoy the challenge of reasoning, the satisfaction of fluency, and the creativity of solving problems in different ways.

By the end of Key Stage One, our pupils are well-prepared for junior school with a secure foundation in mental calculation, mathematical vocabulary, and problem-solving strategies.

The impact of our approach is further enhanced through:

-  Home-school links, such as our mental maths toolkits for parents

- Maths Information Evenings that engage families in supporting learning

- Cross-curricular maths in subjects such as Science and Geography

- Orienteering 

Inclusion

When planning lessons, we consider learners with SEND.

Teachers consider the barriers of the individual children and the key learning of each lesson; identifying the specific new learning. Teachers consider how to: 

• present new information in a way that all learners can access

• break down complex ideas into simpler parts for pupils to learn and practice

• focus learner’s attention on the new content

• use visuals to support the access of all learners

• aid mathematical discussions, so that learners are able to engage in the internal thought processes involved in mathematics 

If appropriate, we plan for an additional adult in the lesson and share their responsibilities with them in advance. 

Please click here to visit the Department for Education website.

Mental Maths Toolkits

These are a resource for you to work through at home, checking off each skill as your children acquire it. When you feel your child has mastered all the skills with quick recall and fluency, see your child's class teacher who will check and then give you the next Toolkit.