Maths

At OAK Trust, we believe that mathematics is an essential, creative and highly interconnected subject. It is fundamental to everyday life and provides the foundations for understanding the world, making informed decisions and engaging with a wide range of disciplines, including science, technology and engineering. We want every pupil to develop a secure understanding of mathematics, recognise its relevance and value, and grow into a confident, curious and capable mathematician. Through a carefully planned progression from Overdale Infants School to Overdale Junior School, pupils build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to access and succeed within the Key Stage 2 curriculum and beyond.

Our curriculum is rooted in the National Curriculum for England and its three aims: fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. These are closely connected and underpin the development of mathematical proficiency. Informed by research into effective mathematics education, our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that knowledge builds progressively, pupils make connections between concepts and learning is secured over time. This ensures that the strong foundations established at Overdale Infants School are built upon and extended as pupils move into Overdale Junior School.

Develop fluency and secure understanding: Build strong foundations in number, calculation and mathematical concepts, developing accuracy, efficient strategies and the ability to recall and apply essential knowledge confidently.

Reason mathematically: Explore relationships, identify patterns, make connections and explain, justify and communicate mathematical thinking using accurate mathematical language.

Become confident problem-solvers: Apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to a range of routine and non-routine problems, developing logical thinking, resilience and the confidence to try different approaches.

Make connections and recognise relevance: Understand how different areas of mathematics relate to one another and apply mathematical learning to everyday situations and other areas of the curriculum.

Develop a positive mathematical identity: Experience an ambitious and inclusive curriculum in which every pupil is supported and challenged to succeed, developing curiosity, enjoyment and confidence in their ability as a mathematician.

Our mathematics curriculum is informed by the National Curriculum programmes of study and the principles of effective mathematics education identified in Ofsted’s research review and subject report. It provides a coherent progression from the early development of mathematical understanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at Overdale Infants School through Key Stage 1, preparing pupils for the increasing mathematical demands they will encounter in Key Stage 2 at Overdale Junior School.

In EYFS, children develop early mathematical understanding through a combination of purposeful adult-led teaching, play and exploration within the learning environment. They encounter mathematical ideas across their experiences and provision, developing early number sense, counting, pattern, shape, space and measure. Adults build on children’s existing experiences, introduce mathematical language and provide opportunities to explore, practise and apply emerging understanding. These early experiences establish the foundations on which future mathematical learning is built.

Across Key Stages 1 and 2, the curriculum is organised to develop progressively the knowledge and skills set out in the National Curriculum, including number, calculation, fractions, measurement, geometry and statistics. Learning is carefully sequenced into manageable steps, with new knowledge building on what pupils have already learned. Important facts, concepts and methods are explicitly taught, connected and revisited so that pupils develop secure foundations for increasingly complex learning.

A mastery approach underpins our teaching. We expect the majority of pupils to progress through the curriculum at broadly the same pace, with decisions about progression informed by the security of their understanding rather than simply the completion of content. Pupils who grasp concepts quickly are challenged through deeper reasoning and rich, sophisticated problems, rather than being accelerated prematurely through new content. Where pupils need further support, teaching and additional opportunities for practice help them to consolidate essential knowledge and keep up with the intended curriculum.

Teaching develops conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency. Teachers use carefully selected concrete resources, pictorial representations, models and images to make mathematical ideas visible and accessible, helping pupils to make connections and move between different representations. These are used purposefully to support understanding and are gradually reduced or adapted as pupils become more secure and independent.

Regular practice and opportunities to revisit prior learning help pupils to retain and apply important mathematical facts, methods and strategies. Mathematical talk is embedded in teaching, with pupils encouraged to articulate their thinking, use precise vocabulary, explain methods, justify answers and consider different approaches. This supports both their conceptual understanding and their ability to reason mathematically.

Assessment is used to identify what pupils understand, recognise misconceptions and inform the next steps in teaching. Teachers use this information to address gaps in knowledge, provide appropriate support and ensure that all pupils, including those who need additional help, can access the full curriculum and make progress. Strong communication and curriculum alignment between Overdale Infants School and Overdale Junior School support a smooth transition, ensuring pupils are well prepared for the expectations of Key Stage 2.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will have built successfully upon the mathematical foundations established at Overdale Infants School and developed throughout their journey at Overdale Junior School. They will have developed the mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills set out in the National Curriculum and will be increasingly fluent and accurate in using number facts, calculation methods and mathematical strategies, with secure foundations to support further learning.

Pupils will be able to reason mathematically, explain and justify their thinking using appropriate vocabulary, make connections between different areas of mathematics and apply their knowledge to solve a range of problems. They will approach unfamiliar challenges with increasing confidence, independence and resilience.

Through an inclusive and ambitious curriculum, pupils will recognise themselves as capable mathematicians, understand the relevance of mathematics in everyday life and be well prepared for the mathematical demands of secondary education and beyond.