Maths at Summerhill

Intent

At Summerhill Primary Academy we provide a high-quality maths curriculum that enables every child to achieve and be challenged. We believe mathematics should be relevant, meaningful and connected to pupils’ everyday lives, equipping them with the skills they need to navigate the world with confidence.

Our maths curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop a deep, secure and adaptable understanding of mathematics. We follow the ‘Teaching for Mastery’ approach, believing that every child can achieve in maths.

Our aim is for pupils of all ages to develop fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills, enabling them to think mathematically and confidently explain their thinking. Pupils are encouraged to use precise mathematical language, represent ideas in different ways and develop resilience when tackling challenging problems.

By providing rich learning opportunities and ensuring that all pupils move through the curriculum together with appropriate support and challenge, we strive for every child to leave our school with a deep, long term and secure understanding of mathematics.

Implementation

Mathematics is taught daily across the school, supported by the Power Maths scheme, which underpins our Teaching for Mastery approach. Lessons are carefully structured and sequenced so that learning is broken down into coherent steps that builds on prior knowledge and strengthens conceptual understanding. This enables children to explore mathematical ideas in depth, make meaningful connections and apply their learning across different contexts.

Our approach is rooted in the CPA (Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract) model. We recognise that pupils secure understanding most effectively when they experience concepts through hands on resources, visual representations and abstract notation alongside one another. This flexible movement between representations deepens understanding, strengthens retention and builds confidence.

The Mastering Number programme is implemented throughout the school to strengthen pupils’ number sense. In Reception, it forms part of the daily maths teaching; from Year 1 onwards, it is delivered as an additional 15minute daily session. In Reception to Year 2, the programme focuses on developing strong number sense and fluency, while in Key Stage 2 it supports children in securing a flexible and automatic understanding of multiplication, division and number relationships. This consistent focus ensures strong foundations and supports pupils’ confidence and progress in mathematics.

Impact

The impact of our curriculum is measured by how effectively pupils can use, apply and retain the knowledge and skills they have learned. Pupils demonstrate increasing confidence, fluency and independence as they progress through the curriculum, applying their mathematical understanding to a range of problems and contexts.

We carefully monitor the success of our curriculum through a range of strategies including book looks, lesson observations and pupil voice. These provide valuable insight into the quality of learning, pupil engagement and attitudes towards mathematics. Ongoing formative assessment within lessons, alongside regular summative assessments, enables teachers to accurately track progress and respond to pupils’ needs to ensure all children continue to move forward in their learning.