Why Maths is important at Hurdsfield Primary School

Maths is essential learning as it prepares our pupils for high school and beyond.

At Hurdsfield Primary School, we teach using the mastery approach. Children should all have access to the same curriculum content and, rather than being extended with new learning, they should deepen their conceptual understanding by tackling varied and challenging problems. Similarly with calculation strategies, pupils must not simply rote learn procedures but demonstrate their understanding of these procedures through the use of concrete materials and pictorial representations to ensure fluency and depth of understanding.

At Hurdsfield Primary School, children also need to learn number facts so that they can instantly recall number bonds and times tables. This knowledge will enable children to answer calculations and more challenging problems as well as prepare them for the Multiplication Test at the end of Year 4.

All pupils should become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately to problems. (National Curriculum, 2014)