Intent

At Bawnmore, Mathematics is a key skill for life. Our curriculum aims to nurture confident, curious and resilient learners who enjoy exploring number, pattern, shape and measure in meaningful ways. We believe that every child can succeed in mathematics, and we provide the tools, language and experiences to help them reason, problem-solve and make connections across their learning.

In line with the EYFS Framework and the National Curriculum for Mathematics, our approach ensures that children develop a secure understanding of number and calculation, alongside strong spatial reasoning, mathematical language and fluency.

Mathematics at Bawnmore supports children in seeing maths as a creative and practical subject that helps them make sense of the world around them — from understanding time and money to exploring patterns and data.

By the end of KS1, children are equipped with a solid foundation of key number concepts and the confidence to apply their skills across the curriculum and in everyday life.

Implementation

Mathematics is taught daily across EYFS and KS1, following a carefully sequenced progression of knowledge and skills.

Our curriculum is guided by the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation materials, ensuring small-step progression, secure understanding and high expectations for all learners. This is supplemented by the Mastering Number programme, which is taught four times a week in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to strengthen number sense and fluency in calculation.

EYFS:

In Nursery and Reception, maths is embedded in both continuous provision and daily adult-led sessions. Children explore key early concepts such as:

• Subitising, counting, comparing and ordering
• Composition of number to 10
• Patterns and sequences
• Spatial reasoning and shape
• Understanding of time, measure and money through real-life experiences

Opportunities for mathematical thinking are embedded across all areas of learning, with strong emphasis on mathematical talk, hands-on exploration and early reasoning.

Year 1:

Children build on EYFS foundations through structured lessons and retrieval practice. Using the NCETM Curriculum Prioritisation framework, they develop confidence in:

• Counting forwards and backwards to 100
• Understanding place value within 100
• Addition and subtraction within 20 and beyond
• Beginning multiplication and division through grouping and arrays
• Exploring simple fractions
• Recognising and describing 2D and 3D shapes
• Comparing and measuring length, weight, capacity, time and money

Mastering Number supports fluency in number facts and mental strategies, particularly around number bonds and additive reasoning. Concrete resources (e.g. tens frames, bead strings, Numicon) are used routinely to build strong number sense.

Year 2:

Children continue to deepen fluency and apply knowledge to more complex problems. Key focus areas include:

• Securing number bonds and mental calculation strategies
• Addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers
• Multiplication and division facts for 2, 5 and 10
• Understanding fractions (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 2/4, 3/4) and equivalence
• Solving word problems and multi-step reasoning tasks
• Reading and telling the time to five-minute intervals
• Estimating, comparing and solving problems involving measure and money

Children are taught to explain their thinking using appropriate mathematical vocabulary and structured sentence stems. Reasoning and fluency are developed through daily opportunities to talk, solve, represent and reflect.

Mastery and Depth:

We adopt a mastery approach, ensuring all children develop deep and sustainable understanding. Lessons incorporate:

• Fluency: rapid and accurate recall of number facts

• Reasoning: using language to justify and explain

• Problem-Solving: applying knowledge in new and unfamiliar contexts

Pupils who grasp concepts quickly are challenged with rich tasks and open-ended investigations, while others receive scaffolding and targeted support to ensure progress.

Impact

By the end of KS1, children:

• Have a secure understanding of number and place value up to 100
• Can confidently add, subtract, multiply and divide using mental and written strategies
• Use key mathematical vocabulary and sentence structures to explain their reasoning
• Apply their understanding to solve a variety of problems
• Make meaningful connections between mathematical ideas and the real world
• Show a positive attitude to mathematics and view themselves as successful learners
• Are well-prepared for the next stage of their mathematical journey in Key Stage 2

Children’s progress is monitored through regular formative assessment, in-lesson feedback, and summative assessment points. This informs responsive teaching, intervention and challenge.

SEND and Inclusion

Maths at Bawnmore is inclusive and accessible to all learners.

• Tasks are carefully scaffolded, with visual supports, concrete resources and adult modelling
• Vocabulary is explicitly taught and rehearsed through repetition, visuals and sentence stems
• Children are supported through targeted intervention, small-group work and pre-teaching
• Lessons are structured in small, manageable steps to build confidence and success
• Learning is linked to children's interests and real-life contexts to enhance engagement

We believe that all children — regardless of starting point — can succeed in maths with the right support, encouragement and high expectations.