Statement of Intent

At St Teresa's we believe that mathematics is essential for everyday life. It teaches us how to make sense of the world around us through developing an ability to calculate; whether it is through working out change, telling the time or measuring the correct amount. We want our children to know that maths is necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment but is also a fun and engaging experience. At St Teresa's we believe that all pupils can achieve. We teach the whole class together building on previous knowledge of what the children already know and plan for small steps. We spend longer time on key mathematical topics and provide time to go deeper and embed learning. We hope children experience a sense of awe and wonder as they solve a problem for the first time through using a multi-sensory approach. We aim for them to  discover a more systematic solution to problems, explain their understanding in full sentences and make links between different areas of mathematics as well as the wider curriculum.

Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract

All students will have the opportunity to build mastery in maths by taking the approach Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract, described below. 

• Concrete – children will have the opportunity to use concrete objects and manipulatives to help them understand what they are doing.

• Pictorial – children will then build on this concrete approach by using pictorial representations. These representations can then be used to reason and solve problems. These include whole -part models and bar models.

• Abstract – with the foundations firmly laid, children will be able to move to an abstract approach using numbers and key concepts with confidence.