“In maths, it’s not about being right the first time; it’s about thinking, reasoning and growing.”
Mathematics is a creative and highly inter-connected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. (National Curriculum 2014).
Mathematics is not only an essential part of a balanced curriculum, but also a fundamental part of daily life. At Lingfield, we seek to promote a rich culture of Mathematics within our school which all children can access and thrive upon. We believe that all learners should become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, have the chance to build their understanding through reasoning mathematically, and learn to apply this understanding in problem solving situations. We encourage our children to develop a growth mindset, where mistakes are valued as an essential part of learning, so that children develop an enthusiastic and creative attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their lives.
At Lingfield, we know that every child’s mathematical journey is unique. Our pupils come to us with different experiences and levels of confidence in Maths, so we make sure every child receives the support and challenge they need to thrive.
Our intent for our mathematics curriculum
- All children to become fluent mathematicians who understand the relative size of numbers at all levels and are able to move fluently between operations and representations;
- Our children to be confident, resilient mathematicians with a “can do” attitude, who enjoy the subject;
- All children to be secure in the key age related expectations, building on their learning progressively from year to year;
- We intend for all our children to reach the expected standards at the end of each key stage, and exceed them where possible;
- Children to have the ability to confidently solve problems through decision-making and reasoning in a range of contexts;
- Children to understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life and that it underpins all subjects;
- Children to be equipped for the next stage of education, work and life.
Impact of our mathematics curriculum
All pupils
- develop a positive attitude towards mathematics;
- are resilient when faced with the unknown and therefore develop a growth mind-set as opposed to fixed;
- make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems;
- are curious, explore patterns and explain their reasoning through rich mathematical discussion with their peers;
- find more ‘elegant’ ways of solving problems;
- build up a wide range of mathematical vocabulary to use across all subject areas.
The Mastery Approach at Lingfield Primary School
Throughout the school, we use a mastery approach to teaching and learning which meets the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum. Mastering Maths means pupils acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject.
The school uses the concrete – pictorial – abstract approach to help pupils develop a deep understanding of maths. Concrete manipulatives are used throughout the key stages, with all abilities and all ages, so pupils are given the tools to understand the problem in front of them. It helps learners to be more secure in their understanding, they are given the opportunity to discover new ideas and spot the patterns, which will help them reach the answer, and it gives pupils a firm foundation for future learning. Pupils then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can be used to reason and solve problems. With the foundations firmly laid, pupils can then move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence. There won’t necessarily be a linear progression from concrete to pictorial to abstract but instead a cyclical approach will be applied e.g. when a pupil has worked out the answer using an abstract method, they could be asked to use concrete manipulatives to convince others that they are correct.
The school uses this concrete – pictorial – abstract approach to promote and develop children’s fluency, reasoning and problem solving and to help all children deepen their understanding of concepts.
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein
Our maths lessons are carefully planned to ensure that every child achieves their full potential and is encouraged to think deeply and critically about their learning. We make maths enjoyable and meaningful by using interactive games, fun challenges and real-life problem-solving activities that help children see how maths connects to the world around them.
We truly believe that every child can succeed in maths, and we work hard to build their confidence and enjoyment of the subject so they believe it too.
We understand that the way maths is taught today can feel quite different from how many parents learned it at school. If you’d like to find out more about our approach or how best to support your child at home, please don’t hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher — we’re always happy to help.
| Lingfield Education Trust Maths Scheme |
Through this approach, our pupils learn to:
Develop fluency in the fundamentals of mathematics through regular practice and increasing challenge. This helps them gain a deep understanding of key concepts and the ability to recall and apply knowledge quickly and accurately.
Reason mathematically by exploring patterns, making connections, forming and testing ideas, and using precise mathematical language to explain and justify their thinking.
Solve problems by applying their mathematical skills to a wide range of situations — both familiar and unfamiliar. They learn to break complex problems into manageable steps, think logically, and persevere until they find a solution.
| Maths Documents | Link |
| Curriculum Overview including NC coverage and progression of skills | View |
| Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 1 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 2 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 3 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 4 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 5 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Year 6 Curriculum Sequences | View |
| Fact Fluency |
It is essential for children to have a solid understanding of number facts appropriate to their year group and the maths they are learning. Without this foundation, learners spend excessive mental energy on basic calculations instead of exploring and practising new concepts. Their experiences in later years build directly on these early skills.
Factual fluency is the ability to work flexibly with numbers. It allows children to understand how our number system functions and how numbers relate to one another. Those who develop factual fluency have a toolkit of mathematical strategies, knowing not only when to use them but also how to adapt them to different problems. In contrast, children with limited factual fluency often focus on rigid procedures, relying on familiar methods. This can lead to inefficient strategies and missed opportunities to make connections that could simplify calculations.
At Lingfield, we foster factual fluency from Reception through Year 6, aiming to enhance both the speed and accuracy of calculation strategies. Our structured and systematic approach helps children build key visual pathways and understand important number relationships. This supports a deep comprehension of numbers, fluency in addition and subtraction, and overall confidence in arithmetic. Ultimately, our goal is for all children to become competent and confident with numbers as they engage in mathematical problem-solving.
| Multiplication Tables |
TTRockstars supports the learning of multiplication tables at home and at school.
| Maths at Lingfield – Parent Support |
To find out more about Maths at Lingfield, we have created the presentation below for parents to help you understand how we approach things.
