Intent
At St. Gregory’s, we believe that all children can be successful in mathematics. Maths is for everyone. Our aim is to develop confident, resilient and inquisitive learners who recognise the importance of mathematics in everyday life. We want children to become numerate, independent thinkers who can reason, solve problems and communicate clearly using precise mathematical vocabulary.
Our trust virtues are woven throughout our approach:
- Resilience and self-belief are nurtured as children persevere through challenges.
- Confidence grows as pupils share their thinking and take risks in their learning.
- Respect and compassion shape collaborative work where all ideas are valued.
- Honesty is promoted by encouraging pupils to discuss misconceptions openly.
- Responsibility is developed as children take ownership of their progress.
- Justice guides our belief that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed.
Mathematical talk is central to our curriculum. Pupils are taught to explain, justify and evaluate ideas with clarity and respect. Our intention is not only to teach mathematics, but to help children think, reason and talk like mathematicians, grounded in the virtues that define our school community.
Implementation
Curriculum Structure
We follow the White Rose Maths scheme from Year 1 to Year 6, providing a clear, well‑sequenced progression through small, connected steps.
To strengthen early number understanding, we use Mastering Number in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, enabling pupils to secure strong foundations in fluency, subitising and early calculation.
How We Teach
Our mastery approach supports deep understanding for all learners. We:
- Teach concepts through the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) model.
- Use the “I do – we do – you do” structure to gradually increase independence and responsibility.
- Begin lessons with retrieval practice to consolidate prior learning.
- Embed goal‑free problems, discussion and structured reasoning to develop mathematical thinking.
- Prioritise explicit vocabulary teaching, modelling precise language and encouraging full‑sentence reasoning.
- Provide varied fluency, reasoning and problem-solving activities to promote resilience and perseverance.
- Use manipulatives, representations and scaffolds to support those who need additional guidance.
- Offer depth, challenge and opportunities for rich mathematical talk to extend pupils who are ready.
Across lessons, children work collaboratively and independently, showing respect, compassion and fairness as they evaluate different strategies and ideas.
Impact
We aim for pupils to leave St. Gregory’s as confident, articulate and resilient mathematicians, fully prepared for Key Stage 3 and equipped for life beyond primary school. We want them to approach mathematics with a strong sense of justice, responsibility and self-belief.
By the time they leave us, pupils will:
- Have a secure understanding of number and its structure.
- Use efficient strategies for mental and written calculations.
- Tackle problems with resilience, confidence and perseverance.
- Explain and justify their thinking clearly using accurate mathematical vocabulary.
- Apply mathematical knowledge to real-life contexts responsibly and thoughtfully.
- Work respectfully with others, showing compassion and fairness in discussion.
- Interpret and analyse graphs, charts and tables.
- Demonstrate strong spatial awareness and understanding of shape and measure.
How We Measure Impact
We evaluate our curriculum through:
- Formative and summative assessments.
- Pupil voice showing confidence, self-belief and clarity in mathematical explanation.
- Learning walks demonstrating consistent mastery practice and rich mathematical talk.
- Evidence in books showing progress, depth, resilience and understanding.
- Pupils’ ability to explain why a method works, showing honesty and secure reasoning.
Through our mastery curriculum—guided by the virtues of resilience, justice, confidence, self-belief, responsibility, respect, honesty and compassion—we nurture fluent, thoughtful and principled mathematicians ready for the next stage of their learning.