At Our Lady Queen of Heaven, in Maths, we widen and deepen the essential knowledge, skills and understanding of learners in a variety of ways. Learners’ understand how Maths is vital across many areas of the curriculum and is an essential life skill.
The skills developed in Maths mean that children are prepared for life outside of school in a variety of ways, such as reading bus timetables, working out percentages and many more. We ensure that children are confident in the different ways in which Maths can be used in the wider community.

We encourage children to discuss and improve their work in Maths, through a variety of different activities, including, problem solving and reasoning tasks.
Opportunities to celebrate the children Mathematical understanding and talents are encouraged through special events like World Maths Day, Maths challenge events and many more.
As a school, we emphasis the importance of learners’ understanding their role as a citizen in modern Britain; appreciating the many roles that incorporate Maths in the wider world.
At Our Lady’s an awareness of learners’ responsibility as a global citizen is paramount in all Maths lessons and learning. Learners’ are continuously encouraged to take risks, solve problems and have ambition.

Key Stage 1

We aim to ensure that children become fluent in the core concepts of mathematics, through frequent practice and access to increasingly complex problems. The principal focus of mathematics teaching in key stage 1 is to ensure that pupils develop confidence and mental fluency with whole numbers, counting and place value. This should involve working with numerals, words and the four operations, including with practical resources

Key Stage 1 focus teaching on Concrete, Pictoral, Abstract. Throughout KS1 children develop their ability to problem solve and reason independently (both verbal and written). Children demonstrate an ability to independently select the resources needed to solve mathematical problems. Children develop skills in;

• Place value: developing a robust understanding of how our number system works.

• Four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

• Number facts: developing a really good bank of number facts.

• Models and images: a developmental approach to the use of consistent, solid images and models that grows with each child as they develop their mathematical understanding.

• Doubling and halving: developing a comprehension of the key mathematical functions based on doubling and halving

Key Stage 2

Abacus has been specifically designed for the 2014 National Curriculum, based on a broad range of evidence and research into what makes outstanding teaching and learning in mathematics. To ensure children develop a robust understanding and secure foundation in maths, Abacus follows a “four pillars” approach:

• Place value: developing a robust understanding of how our number system works.

• Number facts: developing a really good bank of number facts.

• Models and images: a developmental approach to the use of consistent, solid images and models that grows with each child as they develop their mathematical understanding.

• Doubling and halving: developing a comprehension of the key mathematical functions based on doubling and halving.

The Abacus scheme allows for the progression for all children. Skills progression outlines what and when children should be taught the skills needed to develop their mathematical understanding. Prior knowledge is constantly built on, reinforced and embedded.

Prerequisites for learning are built into every piece of teaching through the use of the Abacus scheme.
Using the Abacus scheme enables staff to ensure children are fluent in mathematical procedures and number facts by rehearsing these in systematic ways. Further to this, children who master a concept easily are expected to deepen their understanding and have opportunities to access a range of problem solving and reasoning challenges based on the White Rose and Thinking Tom materials.