At Brentwood Park Primary School, we are passionate about mathematics and support our students to be effective and enthusiastic mathematicians. Mathematics encompasses all aspects of our lives. It is used on a daily basis; at sporting activities, in the playground, home, school and the workplace. It provides a universal way of solving problems in such diverse areas as science and engineering, business and finance, technology, arts and crafts and everyday activities. Competence in mathematics is fundamental to successful participation in a modern society. Our teachers utilise evidence-based teaching practices to identify students’ pre-existing knowledge in mathematics to develop a highly differentiated teaching program to support individual learning needs.

Mathematics in the Early Years

In the Early Years, our mathematics program centres on foundational skills, using materials to manipulate and solve problems in settings that support engagement and behavioural and social development. Students are encouraged to describe and discuss their mathematical thinking through sharing and interacting with others, where students’ knowledge is further developed. They learn to sort, count and compare concrete objects and use and describe basic measurement concepts. This leads students to begin to recognise the structure of number so that they can recognise and work with simple patterns in number, measurement and space. We have an emphasis on the base 10 system, manipulating these numbers to partition with the aim of knowing and applying their facts to 10 fluently.

Mathematics in Years 2 – 6

In the later years of schooling, students develop many abstract and conceptual understandings of mathematics to become complex thinkers who can apply logical reasoning in a variety of mathematical situations (e.g. open-ended rich tasks that involve number and measurement). Brentwood Park Primary School ensures that mathematical reasoning and thinking underpins all aspects of the mathematics program, based on everyday situations, including problem solving, investigation and modelling.

Assessment for Learning

Assessment tools are used to inform teachers of student abilities and identify areas of need. Teachers regularly meet to analyse student data and learning growth to guide future teaching and learning. Programs are implemented using a differentiated curriculum to ensure that the needs of the individual student are met, while developing each of the four mathematical proficiencies (understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem-solving).