At Alma Primary, we are becoming marvellous mathematicians!

We believe that maths is a vital component to education within the primary environment. Maths introduces children to concepts, skills and thinking strategies that are essential in everyday life and support learning across the curriculum. It helps children make sense of the numbers, patters and shapes they see in the world and we strive to make Maths creative and challenging for each individual child. We teach it practically using a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach and where relevant, use cross curricular thematic links to make it more meaningful for the children.

CPA method

Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract is a highly effective approach to teaching that develops a deep understanding of maths as part of mastery learning. It can be used across all stages and involves introducing abstract concepts in a concrete and tangible way. It involves moving from concrete materials, to pictorial representation, to abstract symbols and problems. Concrete is the ‘doing’ stage where children use concrete objects to model problems. Pictorial is the ‘seeing’ stage where the visual representations of concrete objects are used to model problems. Abstract is the ‘symbolic’ stage where children use abstract symbols to model problems.

Numicon

One of the many mathematical tools and resources that is effective for mathematical skill development is the use of Numicon. Numicon is a multi-sensory approach, built on a proven teaching method that raises achievement across all ability levels.  It is designed to give children the understanding of number ideas and number relationships that are essential for success in maths.