All children require mathematical understanding to access as full a life as possible. Mathematical development depends on becoming confident and competent in learning and using key skills.  

At Millstead we understand how children’s mathematical thinking first develops and how it can be nurtured to ensure real understanding and support essential life skills. Mathematics includes counting, sorting, matching, seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships and working with numbers, shapes, space and measures. The teaching of maths always starts from a practical basis and when the pupils are ready, taking their learning to a pictorial level and then abstract level. When teaching new concepts, pupils will return to a practical approach in order to establish the new concept. 

It is vital that the language associated with maths and numeracy is taught alongside new concepts and skills. 

Maths and numeracy form an integral part of our everyday curriculum at Millstead We endeavour to provide opportunities that allow the learners to practice and embed their skills and knowledge in a variety of practical and functional context and situations. Such an approach enables the children to apply their skills and knowledge in a relevant and purposeful manner, appropriate to their model of learning. For most of the children at Millstead, mathematical understanding will be developed through stories, songs, games, sensory and imaginative play so that they enjoy using and experimenting with numbers and other mathematical concepts.  

Pupils at Millstead have identified language and auditory processing deficits that has an impact on their ability to learn language and math concepts in order to solve problems. Pupils need support to understand receptive and expressive communication which can impact their ability express what they don’t understand or show how they solved problems. Pupils often struggle when learning language aspects of math which can cause confusion about terminology and following verbal explanations.  As a school, we use a universal approach through visual supports and using simple language when asking questions, giving directions, presenting concepts, and offering explanations.  

Pupils with severe learning difficulties will have difficulty generalising skills to new contexts. Pupils require repeated opportunities to consolidate a new skill in one “experience” and then transfer this skill across a range of different “experiences”.  

Teachers plan and deliver learning activities to ensure that the processes of learning progress from sensory beginnings, moving towards counting, symbolic representation, abstract thinking and beginning the processes of addition and subtraction and calculations. We believe that children’s mathematical development arises out of daily experiences in a rich and interesting environment. 

Mathematics can be taught more practically, more contextually, more concretely, and with much more motivation if it is taught as part of the process of art, playing games, cooking or any part of life being lived.