Aims and philosophy of the Maths Department

We aim to foster a love of mathematics at Dolphin School and to encourage the children to see mathematics as an integral part of their every day life. It is not seen as a subject in isolation but as a skill that is essential for survival in the modern world. The understanding of number and its use in problem solving is fundamental in every aspect of life and we aim to teach the skills to apply the mathematical techniques to every type of problem. Shape and space as well as data handling play an important part in the development of the rounded individual as does an ability to handle ideas mentally and find approximations to solutions.

Wherever possible, the children are introduced to each new idea in a multi sensory manner because we are aware that children have different learning preferences. As well as the more traditional teacher input, we employ a 'hands on', kinesthetic approach and encourage the children to formulate their own hypotheses.

Whilst we train our children to become proficient in the fundamentals of arithmetic, we also place a large emphasis on the ability to investigate a concept either individually or in groups. As much as possible of our classroom time is devoted to mathematical investigations.

We aim to produce children who handle mathematical concepts confidently and who are able to apply the skills that we have taught them to any relevant problem.