Maths involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measures.

The area of maths is split into two apsects:

- Number

- Numerical patterns

with the following Early Learning Goals:

• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number;
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.
• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

 

Young children who are exposed to a range of experiences, where they are able to explore materials that give them direct experiences of size, shape and texture are building foundations for early mathematical understanding.

Children are given time and space to explore open ended everyday objects and natural resources. This develops their knowledge and understanding of the world around them and how it might be sorted, organised and described.

We recognise the value of our daily routine in the development of mathematical concepts and encourage the children to help with the organisation of key parts of their day. For example, the children delight in counting the cups for snack, deciding how many are needed, counting out to ascertain whether there are enough or not enough to go round or sometimes even too many. They enjoy sharing out the food and realising when there is no more. These are all practical ways of introducing quantity and opportunity for counting and one to one correspondence.

In Reception, mathematical concepts are embedded throughout everyday teaching and routines. The children also begin to write numbers and number sentences.

The topics that complete the learning goals such as adding one more or one less, are introduced weekly with specific teacher led lessons and activities.

Weekly plans review, differentiate and introduce specific skills, preparing the children for the more structured lessons of Year 1.

Spontaneous learning opportunities, both indoor and outdoor, are provided to promote the social skills and develop mathematical understanding through stories, songs, rhymes and finger games, board games, sand and water, construction on a large and small scale, imaginative play, outdoor play and "playground" games, cooking and shopping, two and three dimensional creative work with a range of materials, and by observing numbers and patterns in the environment and daily routines.