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Numeracy

Mathematics & Numeracy

Pupils develop mathematical skills through practical activities, computation, problem solving, and the use of computers and calculators.  Work in other areas of the curriculum also provides many opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in practical ways for example when recording measurements in science experiments, or creating graphs and charts during social studies.

The three components of mathematics on which planning is based are as follows:

NUMBER, MONEY and MEASUREMENT

Children learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide as well as to work with time, length, weight, area and volume.  All pupils undertake mental maths activities on a weekly basis as accurate recall of basic number facts are essential for good progress.

SHAPE, POSITION and MOVEMENT

Children learn about the properties of two and three-dimensional shapes and to understand and use position and movement through computers and programmable toys.

INFORMATION HANDLING

Children learn to gather, organise, display and interpret information using graphs, pie charts and databases.

Problem Solving

Mathematics is viewed as a problem solving activity.  Pupils are challenged to think about what they are doing, to question and to explain.  The process enables them to explore a problem, interpret it, and decide how to proceed, reason logically and come to conclusions.  Children will be given regular opportunities to explain their approach to classmates.  Problem solving enables pupils to apply knowledge learned in different contexts and situations and develop perseverance.

Calculators

Practical activities are encouraged throughout the school so that understanding of the steps involved, together with the underlying mathematical concepts are developed.  Calculators are useful when working with large numbers or a variety of processes.  However, the use of the calculator will not replace the pupil’s understanding in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.