Our Vision 

At South Petherton Infant School it is our belief that the basic skills of mathematics are vital for the life opportunities of our children. Therefore, our aim is for ALL children to leave as confident, skilled and resilient mathematicians. To achieve this, we will ensure that children develop a healthy and enthusiastic attitude, and to continually build on the knowledge they have mastered to develop a deep understanding toward math that will stay with them throughout life.

Building the foundations of our children’s mathematical knowledge, an emphasis is put on number sense. We see this as an important construct that separates surface level understanding from subject mastery.

Maths mastery involves knowing how and why the mathematics work. Through well planned lessons we will develop children’s mathematical thinking and conceptual understanding using the CPA approach (concrete manipulatives- objects, pictorial representations – pictures, abstract symbols – numbers and signs), often in unison. Teaching fewer topics in greater depth, children will be encouraged to explain or justify their mathematical reasoning using the correct vocabulary. Time will be given to solve a variety of problems and make rich connections across mathematical ideas. Knowledge and skills obtained will also be applied across other subjects and everyday situations. Our children will take great delight in overcoming the challenges and conundrums that mathematics will bring and not be afraid to make mistakes.