Foundational Numeracy

At Our Lady Queen of Peace, we believe that numeracy is a life skill that underpins success across the curriculum and prepares students for future education, employment and everyday life. Strong mathematical understanding enables students to reason logically, solve problems confidently and make informed decisions in a wide range of real-world contexts. Our aim is to ensure that all students develop secure foundations in number, calculation and mathematical thinking, regardless of their starting point.

Knowing Every Mathematician

Students sit a standardised assessment at the beginning of Year 7 and then undertake regular assessments in subsequent years. At Key Stage 3 students are given a coloured numeracy band which is shared with parents and teachers.

Red: significant difficulty, with immediate support and progress checked every six weeks
Amber: below the expected level, with targeted support checked each term
Green: at or close to the expected level
Purple: above the expected level, with extra challenge

Supporting Students who Need Additional Help

We recognise that some students may require targeted support to secure essential numeracy skills. Assessment is used to identify gaps in knowledge, misconceptions and barriers to learning. Students requiring additional support may receive:

Precision teaching of key mathematical concepts
Small-group intervention programmes
Additional practice and retrieval opportunities

Sparx Maths

All students make regular use of Sparx Maths to support their learning and mathematical development. In Years 7 – 9 one of their Maths lessons each fortnight is used to consolidate prior learning and ensure a mastery of the foundational skills that are key to success across the curriculum.

Numeracy Across the Curriculum

Numeracy is the responsibility of every subject area. Students are regularly given opportunities to apply mathematical knowledge and skills in authentic contexts beyond the mathematics classroom. This may include:

Interpreting graphs, charts and data.
Using measures, ratio and proportion.
Applying statistical reasoning.
Solving multi-step problems.
Estimating, checking and evaluating answers.

This consistent approach helps students recognise the relevance of mathematics across different disciplines and strengthens their confidence in applying number skills independently. High-quality mathematics education should enable pupils to build connected mathematical knowledge and transfer their learning across contexts.

Developing Mathematical Fluency

Mathematical fluency is fundamental to success. Teachers provide regular opportunities for students to:

Practise and recall key number facts.
Develop efficient calculation strategies.
Use appropriate mathematical vocabulary accurately.
Explain their thinking verbally and in writing.
Apply methods with increasing accuracy and confidence.

Research and inspection evidence highlight the importance of secure foundational knowledge, automaticity and carefully sequenced learning that allows pupils to develop understanding over time.

Mathematical Reasoning and Problem Solving

Students are encouraged to think deeply about mathematics and justify their ideas. Across lessons, teachers support pupils to:

Explain and justify their answers
Identify patterns and relationships
Evaluate different solution methods
Apply mathematical concepts to unfamiliar situations
Tackle increasingly complex problems with resilience and independence

Developing reasoning and problem-solving skills is a key feature of effective mathematics teaching and helps students become confident and capable mathematicians.