Maths

At Badsey, our goal is to ensure that children develop a strong and secure grasp of the Maths National Curriculum. We achieve this through carefully planned whole-class lessons designed to enhance mathematical understanding. Core concepts such as number and place value, calculations, fractions, geometry, statistics, and spatial awareness are broken down into manageable steps, making learning accessible to all students.

We challenge our pupils with rich, engaging tasks that promote deep thinking, mathematical reasoning, and the application of knowledge in diverse contexts. Key mathematical vocabulary is integrated throughout all math and cross-curricular lessons, and students are encouraged to use this language when discussing and explaining concepts. To aid retention, we model key language through stem sentences.

We believe that every child can excel in mathematics and that all students are mathematicians at heart. A positive mindset towards learning is fostered, with an emphasis on celebrating perseverance and learning from mistakes. Our teachers utilize a variety of resources, introducing new topics with concrete and visual aids to ensure sustainable understanding. Additionally, daily Maths Meeting sessions offer targeted practice of key number and arithmetic skills, allowing children to build fluency, recognise patterns, and collaborate on mathematical ideas.

 We teach to the National Curriculum Mathematics programmes of study for KS1 and KS2.

Supporting Documents

The KS1 Maths Calculation Policy

The Lower KS2 Maths Calculation Policy

The Upper KS2 Maths Calculation Policy

The GLA Vision: 

A GLA Mathematician...

• can recall prior knowledge and use suitable technical vocabulary to articulate their explanations
• is able to talk effectively about their Maths and the strategies they have used in their mathematical processes
• is able to use different resources to support their learning and show resilience in their approaches
• loves Maths and is confident with reasoning, problem solving and thinking in different ways
• is fully equipped for the mathematical challenges of everyday life, preparing them for the world of work and have economic awareness.

Modelling - CPA

Concrete Stage:

This stage should always be used during the learning of new concepts or when building further onto learnt concepts for every child in the classroom. It involves the physical manipulation of objects to explore structure, find commonalities and rehearse the mathematics. When pupils are acting on the mathematics with the manipulatives they are also more likely to form the language to communicate concepts and ideas. This allows teachers to gain a greater understanding of where misconceptions lie and the depth of understanding a child exhibits. It also allows pupils to develop their ability to communicate mathematically and to reason.

Pictorial Stage:

This stage involves the use of images to represent the concrete situation enacted in the first stage. It can be pupils’ drawings of the resources they are acting on or a representation such as the bar model, number line or a graph. This stage acts as a ‘bridge’ to support pupils to make links between the concrete and the abstract and develops their ability to communicate and to represent their mathematics.

Abstract Stage:

This is the use of words and symbols to communicate mathematically. It is difficult for pupils to get to this stage without the other two stages working alongside. This is because words and symbols are abstractions. They do not necessarily represent a direct connection to the information. For example, a number is a symbol used to describe how many of something there are, but the symbol of a number, in itself, has little meaning. Why should a ‘5’ represent five any more than the digit ‘2’ stand for five? The other stages support pupils’ understanding of this stage.

The GLA Maths Sequence of Learning

Planning

Teachers use the elicitation outcomes to inform differentiated planning, teaching strategies, resources and activities. Within each lesson, a child, learns new material in small steps and ask questions. Reviewing prior learning is completed during Maths Meeting sessions, allowing children to consolidate and make connections. The C-P-A model are used to enable children to make links in their learning and transfer skills in to different areas of maths. They  have opportunity to practice new material in groups and independently in order to achieve mathematical fluency. They are stretched and challenged with problem solving and reasoning tasks throughout a learning sequence.

Delivery and Environment

Teachers provide models to support children’s understanding of key concepts in maths. Working walls are used to support children when working independently. The environment is rich with mathematical vocabulary, modelled examples and concrete examples. 'Live' marking, feedback, and assessments during lessons and at the end of units help gauge children's understanding and retention of knowledge. Key concepts are revisited in Maths Meeting sessions. Students learn from mistakes, discussing non-examples and articulating their learning processes. They formulate rules and hypotheses, considering consistency—such as "sometimes," "always," and "never." Encouraging independence and responsibility, children develop resilience, recognising that challenges foster deeper learning and seek help only when necessary.