Maths

We endeavour to contribute to the children’s personal development and education through demonstrating how Maths is relevant to every aspect of their lives, both now and in the future. We aim to instil in the children a deep level of confidence to attempt the enormously diverse variety of topics that Maths contains and to extend their own understanding through complex questioning and interactive investigation. We are determined that the children will always be prepared to give something new their best effort with maximum levels of effort, enthusiasm and confidence.

From the very start of a child’s education, we lay the foundations of a thorough understanding of Number, Measurement and Geometry – and over time this extends to subject areas such as Ratio and Proportion, Statistics and Algebra.

We follow the National Curriculum for the basis of all that is taught, and use the White Rose scheme of work as guidance to ensure full coverage across all year groups. We follow its Calculation Policy to ensure consistency from one year to the next – and the relevant documents can be found at the bottom of this page. This scheme is not stuck to rigidly, however, with teachers using their own expertise, other resources and the interests of their children to inform their planning and provide learning opportunities for their classes.

We enjoy using a range of online resources to enhance our children’s learning, particularly MyMaths which is a platform upon which specific work can be set for children – gaining important, instant feedback to their answers. And the ever-popular ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ which brings a fun edge to learning vital number facts.

Children in the Pre-Prep are taught by their class teachers, and from Year 3 onwards in the Prep there is a gentle progression into setting which allows for the children’s particular needs to be best catered for – whether that be additional support, or further challenge and enrichment. Children in Year 5 and Year 6 are taught by experienced subject specialists, who take great pride in ensuring that their students are best placed for their transition into Year 7 and beyond.

Over the course of the year, we look to bring children’s learning to life – whether that is in their daily lessons, trips or challenges. Each year we visit Exeter Racecourse for a day of ‘Maths in Action’ where the children get to look at the Maths behind the racing industry. Rest assured that gambling and odds are not part of the learning on those days! The department also plays a key role during the popular STEM Week each year, with lots of collaboration taking place across various year groups. Our older students take part in the Mathematical Association’s ‘Primary Maths Challenge’ in the Autumn, and the UKMT’s ‘Junior Maths Challenge’ each Spring – and in more recent years, our lower KS2 pupils have enjoyed participating the Mathematical Association’s ‘First Maths Challenge’. Great successes are achieved in these, and the children gain an enormous amount of enjoyment from taking part.

At Blundell’s Preparatory School we are proud of our excellent record of exam attainment, but high achievement in Maths is about far more than just exams. We are determined to instil in our pupils a high level of confidence and enjoyment of Maths in all aspects of everyday life. Our role is to empower the children with the same level of enthusiasm for this endlessly fascinating subject that we feel in the Maths Department; so that they will continue to explore and discover the far-reaching effects that Maths has on all of us.

Aims of the Maths department

In line with the national curriculum, our broad aim as a department is to ensure that all of our pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
  
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
  
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.