Vision, Values and Aims
The mathematic department’s vision values and aims are parallel to those of the whole school.
It is committed to enabling pupils to achieve their maximum potential in all aspects of their development – academic, spiritual, physical, personal, social and emotional.
We aim to promote positive attitudes and an ethos of fairness and equality.
All aspects of Learning and Teaching embrace the principles of a Curriculum for Excellence and Assessment is for Learning aiming to equip pupils with skills for learning, life and work.
To face the challenges of the 21st century, each young person needs to be confident in using mathematical skills, and Scotland needs both specialist mathematicians and a highly numerate population. Learning through mathematics enables children and young people to
- develop essential numeracy skills, including arithmetical skills which allow them to participate fully in society
- develop a secure understanding of the concepts, principles and processes of mathematics and apply these in different contexts, including the world of work
- have an understanding of the application of mathematics, its impact on our society past and present, and its potential for the future
- establish firm foundations for further specialist learning, including for those who will be the mathematicians of the future.
Developing successful learners
Establishing good numeracy skills is necessary for successful learning across the curriculum and developing these skills needs to be of high priority for all children, young people and their teachers. Mathematics can offer particular opportunities for motivation. Children and young people can experience real satisfaction and enjoyment through, for example, fascination with patterns and successes in solving problems and puzzles. At the appropriate stage of their development, engaging with more abstract mathematical concepts encourages young people to develop important new kinds of thinking.
Developing confident individuals
Competence in using arithmetical and mathematical processes plays an important part in giving young people confidence to play a full and effective part in society. Successful independent living depends upon an ability to deal, for example, with measurements and schedules and manage money. Mathematics has an important part to play in developing financial awareness and capability.
Developing responsible citizens
Applying mathematics in other curriculum areas helps children and young people to develop their knowledge and understanding of, for example, issues of sustainability. Mathematics can make an important contribution to helping children and young people to make informed decisions. As they develop their understanding they can interpret numerical information appropriately and use it to draw conclusions, assess risk and make reasoned evaluations.
Developing effective contributors
Mathematics offers a host of different contexts to apply skills and understanding creatively and logically to solve problems. Working on suitably challenging problems individually and in groups helps to develop resilience and gives opportunities to communicate solutions. The future prosperity of Scotland within a competitive global economy will depend upon high levels of numeracy across the population and significant numbers of our young people with the mathematical competence to operate in specialist contexts such as research and development environments.
