Mathematics and numeracy in the Foundation Stage.

Children will acquire early mathematical concepts through activities that involve sorting, matching, comparing, classifying, and making patterns and sequences in a variety of contexts. These activities should involve children in playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening and asking and answering questions.

As the development of mathematical language is of fundamental importance, talking about work has a high priority in the early years. By engaging in a wide variety of activities, children will begin to understand mathematical language and then use this language to talk about their work. Children should also be given opportunities to develop their skills in mental mathematics during counting activities, by playing games and through daily classroom routines.

Key Stage One and Two Mathematics

Numeracy is the development and application of mathematics across the curriculum and in real life situations. Skills in numeracy should help children to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.

Throughout the primary school, children should engage in a wide range of purposeful activities which should involve them in different modes of mathematical learning, including playing, exploring and investigating, doing and observing, talking and listening, asking questions, reflecting, drafting, reading and recording.

The sections of the programme for Mathematics and Numeracy interrelate. Processes in Mathematics should pervade the entire programme involving children in using and applying mathematics in practical tasks, real-life problems and within mathematics itself.