Mathematics at Tintagel Primary School
We believe that children need to have the confidence to see themselves as mathematicians and gain dexterity with number on their journey through our primary school. We aim to teach our pupils to develop their skills of fluency within the fundamental skills of number, as this will enable them to broaden and deepen their learning and give them firm foundations on which to build. Our ambition for all our pupils is that they leave our school at the end of year 6 with the skill set and passion for numbers to enable them to blossom and achieve into Key Stage 3.
Fluency, Reasoning and Problem Solving are at the heart of our teaching - teaching which promotes children's dexterity with number and the ability to identify patterns and relationships, justify their decisions and explain 'why'. Through this open, creative approach which builds understanding through concrete, pictorial and abstract representations, children gain confidence and can apply their learning to different situations.
We link all of our maths learning to the ˜Maths Learning Tree', a growth mind set model for building skills and developing confident, well rounded, ˜fearless' mathematicians. Using this tool for self and peer assessment, our aim is for all children to approach maths with resilience and determination so that they feel comfortable to make mistakes and learn from them. It is only through this approach that they will leave our school with an ownership of the fundamentals in number, the fluency to apply them across a variety of contexts and the ability to 'voice' their understanding or 'reason' mathematically.
Our most able mathematicians who have a natural talent for mathematical concepts will be challenged and provided with rich and sophisticated problems before they accelerate through new content. This mastery approach is designed to deepen and widen mathematical understanding rather than create a merely linear progression.
Those children who struggle to grasp earlier material, and therefore require support in order to gain fluency, will have multiple opportunities to consolidate their understanding before moving on.
Our teachers are passionate about mathematics - they have a positive mind-set and strong subject knowledge - and it is our commitment that, when our children move on to secondary education, they will carry with them an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics; and most importantly of all, that no child will be left behind.
