We believe that our teaching of mathematics must offer the children a broad and balanced mathematics curriculum based on the National Numeracy Strategy and Early Learning Goals. Our aim is to present and teach mathematics as a challenging and exciting subject, and in so doing promote a confident and positive attitude, developing the children’s ability in mental, written and problem solving activities.

This policy will enable all children, regardless of ability, race, or gender, to:

• Have a sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system;
• Know by heart number facts such as number bonds, multiplication tables, doubles and halves;
• Use what they know by heart to figure out the answers mentally;
• Calculate accurately and efficient, both mentally and with pencil and paper, drawing on a range of calculation strategies;
• Recognise when it is appropriate to use a calculator, and be able to do so effectively;
• Make sense of number problems, and identify and explain the operations needed to solve them;
• Explain their methods and reasoning using correct mathematical terms and means of recording;
• Judge whether their answers are reasonable, and have strategies for checking;
• Suggest suitable units for measuring and make sensible estimates of measurements;
• Explain and make predictions from the numbers in graphs diagrams, charts and tables.

(From: the National Numeracy Strategy, DFEE, 1999)