Sub-Navigation
Mathematics: Number - P scales
| Descriptor | Guidance |
| P1(i) Pupils encounter activities and experiences. They may be passive or resistant. They may show simple reflex responses, for example, startling at sudden noises or movements. Any participation is fully prompted. |
|
| P1(ii) Pupils show emerging awareness of activities and experiences. They may have periods when they appear alert and ready to focus their attention on certain people, events, objects or parts of objects, for example, grasping objects briefly when they are placed in their hand. They may give intermittent reactions, for example, sometimes showing surprise at the sudden presence or absence of an event or object. |
|
| P2(i) Pupils begin to respond consistently to familiar people, events and objects. They react to new activities and experiences, for example, becoming excited or alarmed when a routine is broken. They begin to show interest in people, events and objects, for example, tracking objects briefly across their field of awareness. They accept and engage in coactive exploration, for example, lifting objects briefly towards the face in shared investigations. |
|
| P2(ii) Pupils begin to be proactive in their interactions. They communicate consistent preferences and affective responses, for example, showing a desire to hold a favourite object. They recognise familiar people, events and objects, for example, looking towards their own lunch box when offered a selection. They perform actions, often by trial and improvement, and they remember learned responses over short periods of time, for example, repeating an action with a familiar item of equipment. They cooperate with shared exploration and supported participation, for example, handling and feeling the texture of objects passed to them. |
|
| P3(i) Pupils begin to communicate intentionally. They seek attention through eye contact, gesture or action. They request events or activities, for example, pushing an item of equipment towards a member of staff. They participate in shared activities with less support. They sustain concentration for short periods. They explore materials in increasingly complex ways, for example, banging or rubbing objects together. They observe the results of their own actions with interest, for example, as they throw or drop objects on to different surfaces. They remember learned responses over more extended periods, for example, remembering how to activate a pop-up object from a previous lesson. |
|
| P3(ii) Pupils use emerging conventional communication. They greet known people and may initiate interactions and activities, for example, dropping objects to prompt interventions from adults. They can remember learned responses over increasing periods of time and may anticipate known events, for example, collecting coats and bags at the end of the school day. They may respond to options and choices with actions or gestures, for example, pointing to or giving one object rather than another. They actively explore objects and events for more extended periods, for example, manipulating objects in piles, groups or stacks. They apply potential solutions systematically to problems, for example, using items of equipment purposefully and appropriately. |
|
| P4 Pupils show an awareness of number activities and counting, for example copying some actions during number rhymes, songs and number games; following a sequence of pictures or numbers as indicated by a known person during number rhymes and songs. |
|
| P5 Pupils respond to and join in with familiar number rhymes, stories, songs and games, for example, using a series of actions during the singing of a familiar song; joining in by saying, signing or indicating at least one of the numbers in a familiar number rhyme.Pupils can indicate one or two, for example by using eyepointing, blinks, gestures or any other means to indicate one or two, as required.They demonstrate that they are aware of contrasting quantities, for example ‘one’ and ‘lots’ by making groups of one or lots of food items on plates. |
|
| P6 Pupils demonstrate an understanding of one-to-one correspondence in a range of contexts, for example: matching objects such as cups to saucers, straws to drink cartons.Pupils join in rote counting up to five, for example, saying or signing number names to 5 in counting activities.They count reliably to three, make sets of up to three objects and use numbers to three in familiar activities and games, for example, touching one, two, three items as an adult counts, counting toys or pictures, counting out sets of three, e.g. knife, fork and spoon.They demonstrate an understanding the concept of ‘more, for example, indicating that more cups, counters, food items are required.They join in with new number rhymes, songs, stories and games. |
Activities should include the use of money as an important context for number development. |
| P7 Pupils join in rote counting to 10, for example, saying or signing number names to 10 in counting activities They can count at least 5 objects reliably, for example, candles on a cake, bricks in a tower.They recognise numerals from one to five and to understand that each represents a constant number or amount, for example, putting correct number of objects (1-5) into containers marked with the numeral; collecting the correct number of items up to five.Pupils demonstrate an understanding of 'less', for example, indicating which bottle has less water in it.In practical situations they respond to 'add one' to a number of objects, for example, responding to requests such as add one pencil to the pencils in the pot, add one sweet to the dish. |
|
| P8 Pupils join in with rote counting to beyond 10, for example, they say or sign number names in counting activities.They continue to rote count onwards from a given small number, for example, continuing the rote count onwards in a game using dice and moving counters up to 10; continuing to say, sign or indicate the count aloud when adult begins counting the first two numbers.Pupils recognise differences in quantity, for example, in comparing given sets of objects and saying which has more or less, which is the bigger group or smaller group They recognise numerals from one to nine and relate them to sets of objects, for example,: labelling sets of objects with correct numerals.In practical situations they respond to 'add one' to or 'take one away' from a number of objects, for example, adding one more to three objects in a box and say, sign or indicate how many are now in the box; at a cake sale saying, signing or indicating how many cakes are left when one is sold.They use ordinal numbers (first, second, third) when describing the position of objects, people or events, for example, indicating who is first in a queue or line; who is first, second and third in a race or competition.Pupils estimate a small number (up to 10) and check by counting, for example, suggesting numbers that can be checked by counting, guessing then counting the number of: pupils in a group; adults in the room; cups needed at break time. |
|
| 1C Pupils read most numbers up to 10 in familiar contexts. They make attempts to record numbers up to 10. They count from one to ten objects, for example, counting chairs around a table, cups on a tray, people on a bus.In practical situations they use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting and demonstrate an understanding of addition as the combining of two or more groups of objects, for example, using everyday objects, the pupil finds how many there are in two groups by combining and counting them. |
|
|
1B They demonstrate an understanding of subtraction as the taking away of objects from a group, for example, working out practically how many satsumas would be left if some were eaten by counting them, taking some away and then counting those that are left.Using numbers up to 10, they solve problems involving addition or subtraction, including comparing two sets to find a numerical difference. |
|
| 1A Pupils count, read and order numbers from 0 - 20. They record numbers from 0 to 10 and associate these with the number of objects they have counted. Pupils recognise 0 as 'none' and 'zero' in stories and rhymes and when counting and ordering. They understand the operations of addition and subtraction and use the related vocabulary. They add and subtract numbers when solving problems involving up to 10 objects in a range of contexts. |