Maths

What Will You Learn?

• Students in the UK up to secondary school level study mathematics across key areas including number, algebra, geometry, statistics, and problem-solving, with the aim of developing fluency, reasoning, and application skills.
• Primary Education (Key Stages 1 and 2)
• In primary school (ages 5–11), students focus on building numerical fluency and basic mathematical understanding.
• Key areas include:
• Number and Place Value: counting, reading, and writing numbers; understanding tens and ones; recognising patterns; calculating one more or one less.
• Operations: learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, including number bonds and small-step problem-solving.
• Fractions: recognising and calculating halves, quarters, and simple fractions.
• Measurement: comparing and measuring length, mass, capacity, volume, and time; working with money and dates.
• Geometry: identifying 2D and 3D shapes, properties, and positions; understanding turns and directions.
• Statistics and Problem-Solving: collecting and interpreting data using simple charts, tables, and graphs.
• Teachers support pupils using concrete, pictorial, and abstract methods, frequently revisiting concepts to ensure understanding while developing the language of mathematics for reasoning and explanation.
• Secondary Education (Key Stages 3 and 4)
• In secondary school (ages 11–16), mathematics education broadens in complexity and abstraction, preparing for GCSEs and ensuring core numerical and reasoning skills
• Oak National Academy.
• Key areas include:
• Number: advanced arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, and proportion.
• Algebra: expressions, equations, inequalities, sequences, and functions.
• Geometry and Measurement: properties of shapes, trigonometry, transformations, mensuration, and spatial reasoning.
• Statistics and Probability: data handling, averages, probability calculations, and interpreting results.
• Problem-Solving and Mathematical Thinking: applying skills to routine and non-routine problems, developing reasoning, justification, and proof in context.
• The curriculum emphasises a mastery approach: students build deep conceptual understanding, often using visual models and carefully sequenced small steps, focusing on fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving.
• Calculators are used strategically once students understand underlying mathematical principles.
• Beyond Age 16
• While mathematics is compulsory in England until age 16, recent plans encourage students to study mathematics further up to age 18, including pathways like Core Maths, T Levels, and A Levels, depending on their career or educational plans.
• The focus remains on developing analytical, quantitative, and applied skills relevant for work, daily life, and higher education.
• Holistic Learning Principles:
• Across all stages, the curriculum ensures students can:
• Make connections across different areas of mathematics.
• Reason mathematically using precise language and logic.
• Solve complex problems in steps and with perseverance.
• Apply mathematics in everyday, scientific, and technological contexts.
• Develop confidence, curiosity, and enjoyment in engaging with the subject.
• This structured and progressive approach means that by the end of secondary school, students are numerically fluent, confident in reasoning with abstract concepts, and prepared for further study or employment requiring quantitative skills.