Maths
At Herons Dale, Mathematics develops the understanding pupils need to participate with increasing confidence and independence in everyday life. Teaching begins with each pupil’s cognitive development, communication profile, prior learning, EHCP outcomes and Personal Learning Plan priorities. We recognise that pupils have individual and sometimes uneven developmental profiles and may therefore access learning drawn from more than one pathway.
Our Mathematics curriculum provides a clear progression from early awareness of quantity, pattern, space and change through to increasingly formal mathematical knowledge and reasoning. Teachers draw on recognised schemes and curriculum frameworks, including White Rose, IMPACTS, Equals, Development Matters and the National Curriculum. These materials support curriculum planning but do not determine the level at which a pupil must work. Teachers select, sequence and adapt content according to each pupil’s assessed starting point, developmental needs and readiness for learning.
Mathematics is taught through concrete objects, movement and practical experiences. Pictures, symbols and other representations help pupils develop understanding before they move towards more abstract recording where appropriate. Total Communication enables pupils to demonstrate mathematical thinking through speech, Makaton, AAC, eye gaze, actions, objects, photographs or recorded work. Adaptation changes how pupils encounter, explore and communicate mathematics while retaining the intended concept and appropriate ambition.
How Mathematics Develops Across Our Pathways
Discoverers
Our youngest and most complex learners develop early mathematical understanding through play, familiar routines and sensory experiences. They explore quantity, pattern, shape, size, space and measure using real objects, movement, songs and motivating activities. Adults support pupils to notice change, anticipate what happens next, make choices and develop an early understanding of cause and effect.
Explorers
Pupils develop the cognitive foundations needed for mathematical learning through IMPACTS, Extended IMPACTS and other appropriately selected resources. Learning includes attention, anticipation, cause and effect, quantity, matching, sorting, sequencing, pattern and informal measure. Communication such as “more”, “again”, “stop” and “finished” helps pupils express mathematical understanding and take greater control within an activity.
Adventurers
Pupils access carefully sequenced mathematical learning which reflects relevant curriculum expectations and is adapted to their developmental starting points. They develop understanding of comparison, counting, subitising, pattern, shape and spatial relationships through practical and visual learning. Teachers revisit concepts frequently so pupils can retain their learning, use it with less support and apply it within familiar routines.
Voyagers
Pupils access progressively challenging mathematical content drawn from schemes that reflect National Curriculum expectations and are adapted appropriately. They develop understanding across number, calculation, measure, geometry, money and time. Teaching uses small steps, practical representations and structured problem-solving. Pupils become increasingly able to explain their choices and apply learning in different contexts.
Pioneers
Formal learners follow a progressive Mathematics curriculum informed by recognised schemes, including White Rose, and aligned with National Curriculum expectations. Teachers select and adapt content to provide suitable challenge while responding to each pupil’s prior learning and developmental profile. Pupils develop knowledge across place value, calculation, fractions, statistics, geometry and measurement, with increasing fluency and reasoning. Functional application, independence and the ability to select an appropriate strategy remain central.
Navigators
Pupils in the Navigator cohort access a flexible combination of mathematical approaches according to their assessed starting points, regulation and readiness for learning. Teaching may draw on elements from different curriculum pathways and schemes so that pupils receive the right level of challenge and support.
Short, carefully structured sessions and practical experiences linked to pupils’ interests help sustain engagement. Visual structure and meaningful real-life contexts enable pupils to experience success and build confidence. Cooking, shopping, the Hungry Herons Café and daily routines provide purposeful opportunities to use number, money, time, measure and sequencing while developing greater independence.
What Pupils Learn
Across the school, pupils learn to:
- develop attention, anticipation, cause and effect and early problem-solving
- understand quantity and number with increasing accuracy
- match, sort, compare and classify objects and information
- recognise, create and continue patterns and sequences
- develop counting, place value and calculation skills
- explore shape, space, position and movement
- measure and compare length, height, mass, capacity and temperature
- develop understanding of time, money, fractions and statistics where appropriate
- communicate choices, explain their thinking and try different strategies
- apply mathematics with increasing independence in practical and everyday contexts.
Cultural Capital and Enrichment
Mathematics helps pupils understand patterns, quantities and relationships within the world around them. Marvellous Middles, themed curriculum activities and practical investigations provide opportunities to explore mathematics through games, stories, construction, art, music, movement and outdoor learning.
Cooking, the Hungry Herons Café, Forest School, visits and daily school routines enable pupils to use number, measure, time, money, position and sequencing in meaningful contexts. These experiences help pupils recognise mathematics as useful, relevant and connected to community life.
Preparing for Adulthood and British Values
Mathematics supports independence in everyday activities such as shopping, preparing food, understanding schedules, managing time, measuring, comparing options and using money. Pupils learn to solve practical problems and make increasingly informed choices, using representations and technology where these support access.
Collaborative mathematical learning develops turn-taking, listening and respect for different approaches. Pupils learn that problems can be solved in more than one way. They communicate their ideas through an appropriate method and develop confidence in making decisions. These skills support participation, responsibility and preparation for adult life.