Mathematics

Vision

At our very small, mixed-age primary school, our vision for teaching mathematics is to foster a deep understanding and a genuine love for the subject. We aim to ensure that every child, from EYFS to Year 6, builds a secure foundation in mathematics and develops confidence, fluency and enjoyment in their mathematical learning.

Through the use of White Rose Maths mixed-age long-term planning, alongside the Department for Education’s Ready-to-Progress criteria, we deliver a coherent, ambitious and well-sequenced mathematics curriculum that is specifically designed for our mixed-age context. This ensures that pupils experience clear progression, avoid unnecessary repetition, and build securely on prior learning as they move through curriculum cycles. Individual pupils’ learning journeys are carefully tracked to ensure continuity, progression and high expectations across year groups and over time.

Our mathematics curriculum aligns closely with the Thrive and Excel @ Kielder Framework by developing pupils’ academic confidence, resilience, metacognitive awareness, communication and problem-solving skills. Pupils are supported to reflect on their learning, persevere with challenge and articulate their mathematical thinking clearly, enabling them to thrive as confident, independent learners.

Intent

Foundational Understanding

We are committed to establishing strong foundations in mathematics from the earliest stages. Through White Rose Maths, we provide a structured and systematic approach to teaching key mathematical concepts, ensuring that pupils build secure understanding of number, operations, shape, space, measure and problem-solving. This strong foundation supports later success and reduces gaps as pupils progress.

Progressive and Coherent Skill Development in Mixed-Age Classes

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced using White Rose Maths mixed-age planning to support continuous and progressive development of mathematical knowledge and skills across curriculum cycles. By aligning this with the DfE’s Ready-to-Progress criteria, we ensure that pupils secure essential concepts at each stage, make meaningful connections between different areas of mathematics and build effectively on prior learning.

In our mixed-age classes, teachers use White Rose’s mixed-age long-term plans to ensure full curriculum coverage while carefully tracking individual pupils’ progression. This allows us to avoid unnecessary repetition, address gaps and ensure that learning is pitched appropriately for each pupil’s stage of development, rather than simply their chronological age.

Adaptive and Inclusive Teaching

Recognising the diverse range of ages, starting points and abilities within our mixed-age classes, we tailor our teaching to meet individual needs. White Rose Maths provides a range of representations and resources that enable us to adapt lessons, provide targeted support and appropriate challenge, and ensure that all pupils can make strong progress from their starting points. This inclusive approach reflects our high expectations for all learners.

Engaging, Practical and Real-Life Learning

We aim to make mathematics meaningful, engaging and relevant. Lessons incorporate practical activities, concrete and pictorial representations, real-life contexts and interactive resources. This helps pupils to see the purpose and application of mathematics, supporting motivation, understanding and transfer of learning to new situations.

Developing Fluency, Reasoning and a Growth Mindset

We place strong emphasis on developing fluency through regular practice, retrieval and revisiting key concepts. Pupils are taught to reason mathematically, explain their thinking, justify answers and make connections. We actively foster a growth mindset, encouraging pupils to embrace challenge, learn from mistakes and persevere. This supports resilience, confidence and positive learning behaviours, in line with the TEK Framework’s focus on wellbeing, perseverance and innovation.

Implementation

Our mathematics curriculum is implemented through consistent, high-quality teaching, underpinned by White Rose Maths mixed-age planning and informed by ongoing assessment and responsive teaching.

EYFS and Key Stage 1 (Reception to Year 2)

Strong Early Foundations
In EYFS and KS1, we focus on developing secure number sense, early calculation, and understanding of shape, space and measure. Teaching is rooted in concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) approaches, using practical resources to support deep understanding. Mathematical language is explicitly taught and modelled to support reasoning and communication.

Active and Exploratory Learning
Pupils engage in hands-on, interactive learning experiences that encourage exploration, talk and reasoning. This supports pupils to develop confidence and enjoyment in mathematics while building secure foundational knowledge.

Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6)

Building on Prior Learning
In KS2, pupils build on strong foundations to develop and extend their understanding of number, calculation, fractions, decimals, geometry, measurement and statistics. Teaching is aligned with the Ready-to-Progress criteria to ensure that essential knowledge is secured and gaps are addressed promptly.

Fluency, Reasoning and Problem-Solving
Pupils are taught to develop fluency alongside deeper reasoning and problem-solving skills. Lessons include opportunities to explain thinking, represent ideas in different ways, and apply knowledge to increasingly complex and unfamiliar problems. This supports pupils to become confident mathematical thinkers.

Mixed-Age Planning, Assessment and Progression
We use White Rose Maths mixed-age yearly overviews as the starting point for planning, ensuring clear progression and curriculum coverage across mixed-age cohorts. Teachers adapt these plans to meet the needs of individual pupils, using assessment to identify where pupils are within each sequence and to plan next steps accordingly.

Assessment information is used to track individual pupils’ progress over time, across curriculum cycles, ensuring that each child builds securely on prior learning. This allows us to maintain high expectations, provide targeted support or challenge, and ensure that pupils make strong progress regardless of class structure.

Assessment, Adaptation and Intervention
Ongoing formative assessment is used to check understanding, identify misconceptions and inform adaptive teaching. White Rose Maths resources support targeted intervention and enrichment, ensuring that pupils who need additional support receive it promptly and that pupils who are ready for challenge are extended. We also work hard to prepare our pupils for statutory national tests.

Impact

Through our mathematics curriculum, guided by White Rose Maths mixed-age planning and the DfE’s Ready-to-Progress criteria, and aligned with our TEK Framework, we ensure that pupils:

• Develop secure and connected understanding of key mathematical concepts.

• Demonstrate fluency, accuracy and confidence in number and calculation.

• Use reasoning skills to explain thinking, justify answers and make connections.

• Apply mathematics effectively to real-life and cross-curricular contexts.

• Show resilience, perseverance and positive attitudes when faced with challenge.

• Experience a coherent and progressive mathematics curriculum that is carefully adapted for mixed-age classes, ensuring continuity, progression and high expectations for every individual learner.

• Make strong progress from their individual starting points.

By the time pupils leave Kielder Primary School and Nursery, they are confident, capable and reflective mathematicians who can apply their learning flexibly and accurately. They demonstrate the TEK Framework competencies of  communication, innovation and metacognition, and are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for the mathematical demands of everyday life.