Click on the sections below to explore and learn more about the Maths curriculum at St Vincent’s.
At St Vincent’s, we are committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of mathematics in the wider world and that they are also able to use their mathematical skills and knowledge confidently in their lives in a range of different contexts. We want all children to enjoy mathematics and to experience success in the subject, with the ability to reason mathematically. Mathematics starts from a desire to explain the real world. It is a creative subject in which ideas can be generated, tested and refined. It is used to analyse and communicate information and ideas and to tackle a range of practical tasks and real-life problems. Mathematics also provides the means for creating new imaginative worlds to explore, and it is through this exploration that new mathematics is created and current ideas are modified and extended. We are committed to developing children’s curiosity about the subject, as well as an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics.
As a school, we incorporate a mastery approach to mathematics by using the Power Maths scheme. Mathematical topics are taught in blocks, to enable the achievement of ‘mastery’ over time. Children are given an opportunity to build on key learning concepts through a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach. Throughout our scheme, we cover the three key areas of fluency, reasoning and problem solving and thus progress to a greater depth in understanding. Children revisit previous learning as subsequent blocks to consolidate their learning, and also to provide them with the opportunity to practise key skills. By doing this, the children can then begin to recognise how different aspects of mathematics are linked.
Our school has a supportive ethos formed by our Christian values and our approach supports the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Children can often underperform in mathematics because they think they cannot do it or are not naturally good at it. Power Maths ensures that all children experience challenge and success in mathematics by developing a growth mindset. Regular and ongoing assessment informs teaching, as well as intervention, to support and enable the success of each child. This ensures that we are able to maintain high standards, resulting in the children making as much progress as possible and achieving to their full potential in mathematics.
Our Maths Subject Leaders are Mr M. Babbs and Mr J. Renton.
