Maths
Our Approach to Maths: Carmel Archimedes Scheme
At Hackthorn CofE Primary, we are committed to providing a high-quality mathematics education that is engaging, inclusive, and effective for all learners. To support this, we follow the Carmel Archimedes Maths scheme across the school.
Carmel Archimedes is a structured, progressive maths programme that follows a mastery approach, helping children to develop fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. One of the key strengths of the scheme is that it has been specifically designed with small schools in mind, making it particularly effective in mixed-age classes and schools with smaller cohorts. The planning and sequencing support clear progression while allowing flexibility to meet the needs of all learners.
The scheme draws on a range of well-established and research-informed maths programmes, including White Rose Maths, Power Maths, and the NCETM materials. These have been blended and adapted to create a scheme that is both coherent and manageable, ensuring a consistent, high-quality approach to maths teaching from year to year.
As part of our teaching, we use the CPA approach—Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract—to ensure children gain a deep and secure understanding of mathematical concepts. This approach begins with hands-on resources, moves to visual representations, and then progresses to abstract calculations, allowing all learners to build confidence and understanding step by step.
In addition, our teaching staff are actively involved in maths mastery working groups. These groups meet regularly to reflect on practice, share ideas, and explore new strategies to continually improve the teaching and learning of maths across the school.
We also value working in partnership with parents and carers, and will continue to share ideas and resources to support maths learning at home.
If you would like to know more about the Carmel Archimedes scheme or our approach to maths at Hackthorn, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
