At Farnsfield St Michael’s we aim to create well-rounded individuals who flourish and celebrate life in all its fullness. Our vision is to provide high quality teaching and learning of mathematics to teach children how to make sense of the world around them, and to achieve personal fulfilment as they master the knowledge and skills of mathematics. Our school values are at the heart of our learning.

By developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems, we will provide a foundation for understanding the world. Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment.

We also endeavour to inspire pupils of the beauty and power of mathematics, and to engender a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.

At Farnsfield St Michael’s, children are encouraged to make mistakes in a safe and supportive environment, to work collaboratively, with respect for each other’s ideas.

They are supported to discuss these misconceptions with their peers and staff alike. Use of appropriate vocabulary is modelled throughout lessons by both staff and children, allowing everyone to ‘talk like a mathematician’. Once a child can articulate their understanding of a concept, they can truly begin to make connections within their learning.

At our school, the majority of children will be taught the content from their year group only. They will spend time becoming true masters of content, applying and being creative with new knowledge in multiple ways. We are on the same path, no matter our starting point, and work collaboratively to fulfil our full potential.

Mathematics at Farnsfield St. Michael's aims to equip our pupils with the three aims of the National Curriculum:

Fluency - The children can recall number facts and methods with ease and know how and when to apply them. 

Reasoning - The pupils can explain their mathematical thinking using precise vocabulary; both verbally and in writing. 

Problem Solving - Children will develop the ability to solve real life problems and puzzles using their maths knowledge and skills. 

We want children to be independent, confident and efficient mathematicians and will encourage them to make connections between mathematical ideas and the 'real world' applications. We value the use of concrete, pictorial and symbolic  representations to help them understand mathematical concepts with increasing depth. 

Years 1-6 are currently experiencing a mastery approach to mathematics, with children being taught in their own year group (even those children in our mixed age classes). This means all of the pupils experience the same maths lessons and activities which are carefully crafted and scaffolded to ensure that pupils move through the curriculum at "broadly the same pace" (National Curriculum 2014). 

Extra challenge and opportunity to work in greater depth is given to all children - we have high expectations that everyone can achieve.  Those children who need additional support, resources or practice will have access to these on a very regular basis. 

Foundation Stage is working within their respective curricular and staff are incorporating many features of a mastery maths lesson to ensure that children receive a consistently great maths education.