Maths at Fowey Primary School

At Fowey Primary School, we are passionate about giving every child the opportunity to become a confident, curious and capable mathematician. We follow the White Rose Scheme of Learning – a mastery-based curriculum recommended by the Department for Education – which helps us meet the aims of the National Curriculum while nurturing the personal development of our pupils.

We believe that every child can achieve in mathematics. Our approach encourages all learners to grow in confidence, independence, and resilience, building not just their mathematical understanding but also the skills and attitudes they need to thrive in life.

 

At the heart of our maths curriculum is a belief in the potential of all children. We aim to:

• Keep the whole class progressing together, with opportunities for everyone to succeed and be challenged.

• Provide rich problem-solving tasks that build reasoning, creativity and perseverance.

• Use ongoing, practical assessment to quickly identify misconceptions and address them.

• Nurture a growth mindset, helping children develop the confidence to take risks and see mistakes as valuable learning steps.

o help children understand key mathematical concepts deeply, we use a Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract approach:

• Concrete: Children use real-life objects they can touch and manipulate, such as cubes, counters or everyday items. This supports learners who need a tangible way to make sense of maths.

• Pictorial: Children then move to visual representations like diagrams or bar models to show their thinking.

• Abstract: Once confident, they begin to work with numbers and symbols, applying their understanding to more formal methods.

This approach supports children in building independence and confidence, ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone experiences success at their level.

 

To support metacognition and help children become reflective, self-aware learners, each lesson follows a consistent structure:

• I Do – The teacher demonstrates a new skill or method, modelling clear thinking and strategies.

• We Do – The class works together, discussing ideas and solving problems collaboratively.

• You Do – Children practise independently, applying what they’ve learned while building resilience and stamina.

This structure builds children’s independence, critical thinking and ability to reflect on their learning journey, which are all key elements of their personal development.

 

We believe in equity over equality – ensuring that every child gets what they need to succeed:

• Lessons include scaffolding such as manipulatives, sentence stems or adapted questions.

• Teachers use a range of activities to support fluency, reasoning and problem solving for all ability levels.

• Challenge tasks are built into lessons to stretch confident learners and encourage them to think deeply and creatively.

This inclusive approach helps children develop not just their maths, but also a respect for different learning journeys, an appreciation for hard work, and a sense of achievement in overcoming challenges.

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Oracy 

At Fowey, we place a strong emphasis on oracy – the ability to speak confidently and clearly – within our maths lessons. Using the right language helps children understand, communicate and embed their thinking.

• Children are encouraged to speak in full sentences using correct mathematical vocabulary.

• Teachers model high-quality explanations and use sentence stems to support learners. For example:
  "There are __ groups."
  "There are __ in each group."

This focus on oracy supports children in developing self-expression, confidence in communication, and the ability to justify and explain their thinking – skills which are vital for success in all areas of life.