Maths teaching at Blackthorn aims to enable every child to confidently enjoy working with numbers. Our curriculum aims for a robust foundation in arithmetic and mathematical fluency alongside teaching which nurtures mathematical curiosity where children seek out maths problems to solve. We believe that developing every child as a critical thinker, who can explain their reasoning, and is resilient in the face of challenges will give the children of Blackthorn the confidence and life skills in mathematics to be undeterred in their ambitions beyond primary school. We are a school that loves and celebrates maths!

• Teaching enables mathematical concepts to be developed and understood.
• Throughout the school ‘Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract’ is a cornerstone to the pedagogy of high quality maths teaching and is used to support children’s understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Procedural learning is used with variation to develop every child’s critical thinking.
• Arithmetic is explicitly taught using the NPAT Calculation policy, CPA strategies and procedural variation.
• EYFS and KS1 have dedicated Numicon time to explore number concepts and reasoning.
• Children learn that maths can be represented in multiple ways and the specific teaching of part-part whole and bar modelling supports mathematical concepts from Reception to Year 6.
• Reasoning is part of every lesson and children are expected and encouraged to think critically to find different solutions to problems.
• Maths No Problem is a structured scheme that provides the backbone of our maths curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6, enabling teachers to systematically develop concepts using the Singapore model of maths teaching.
• Children extend their maths learning beyond their Maths No Problem lessons using maths journals where children take ownership of their mathematical knowledge and reasoning.
• Fluency of number facts is supported by online resources which the children can access from home in order to compliment what is taught in school.