Maths at BCPA

A Bishop’s Cleeve Mathematician...

A Bishop’s Cleeve mathematician is confident, resilient and enthusiastic about maths. They build on previous learning, use mathematical vocabulary to explain their thinking, and talk confidently about the strategies they have used to succeed. They embrace challenges, use resources effectively to support their understanding, and enjoy reasoning, problem solving and thinking creatively. Through our maths curriculum, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to apply mathematics in everyday life, preparing them for future learning, the world of work and making informed financial decisions.

The ‘Can Do’ approach

At Bishop’s Cleeve Primary Academy, we aim to develop a deep and secure understanding of mathematics through carefully planned whole-class lessons. Learning is broken down into small, manageable steps so that every child can build confidence and mastery of each concept. We teach for fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills by asking the children to ‘do it’, ‘secure it’ and ‘deepen it’ through each small step of their learning.

Key mathematical vocabulary is taught and regularly revisited from an early age, helping children to explain their thinking with confidence. Through clear sentence stems and consistent use of mathematical language, children develop a secure understanding of key concepts and can talk accurately about their learning.

Manipulatives are used in every lesson to model new concepts, support learning and bring mathematics to life. Carefully chosen resources such as tens frames, counters, Base 10 and Numicon help children develop strong number sense and build secure mathematical understanding as they progress through the school.

In addition to daily maths lessons, children take part in daily 'Maths Meetings', where they practise key skills, revisit previous learning and explore new concepts. These sessions help children build fluency, spot patterns, make connections and develop confidence, while allowing teachers to quickly identify and address misconceptions.

Mathematics in Early Years

The EYFS curriculum focuses on teaching for a deep and secure understanding of numbers to 10 and learning in mathematics takes place on a daily basis in our Reception class. Children always have access to a mathematics area where they can explore and consolidate learning, as well as maths opportunities in the outdoor area. Alongside these enabling environments, high-quality interactions between adults and children allow the learning of pupils to be scaffolded and all pupils to be challenged or supported to make progress depending on their individual needs. As well as opportunities for child-initiated learning, children also take part in teacher-led focused groups. Children’s mathematical learning is recorded by collecting photos, videos and observations on “Evidence Me”, which is used for assessment and to inform next steps. In Pre-school, children sing number songs, practise counting and subitising, as well as exploring shape, space, measure and patterns through continuous provision and adult-initiated activities. As in Reception, high-quality interactions between adults and children underpin all learning and these enable all learners to develop a deep and secure understanding of mathematical concepts.

Bishop's Cleeve Primary Academy is part of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, c/o Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy, Tobyfield Road, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8NN | 01242 358017 | admin@glatrust.org.uk

Gloucestershire Learning Alliance is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England (Company Number 07690119)