The Problem-Solving Schools’ Charter

The NRICH team has developed this Charter to help you reflect on how you currently promote mathematical problem-solving in your school

Values and ethos

We have a shared belief that:

Mathematical ability is not fixed: everyone can learn and make progress
Problem-solving often involves taking wrong turns and making mistakes: every learner has the right to struggle and the right to enjoy success
Everyone should have the opportunity to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to become confident problem-solvers
Problem-solving can motivate learners to learn new mathematics, apply previous learning and make mathematical connections

In our setting:

Our staff promote positive attitudes towards problem-solving
Time is set aside to discuss problem-solving in our meetings
Our displays, newsletters, website, and social media content celebrate problem-solving for all
Our monitoring system ensures that priority is given to problem-solving and mathematical thinking
We engage with printed, online and face-to-face professional development opportunities offered by subject organisations

We are committed to:

Regularly embedding non-standard problem-solving opportunities in our maths curriculum for all
Ensuring that problems, and classroom support, offer opportunities for all to experience both struggle and success
Allocating time to developing key problem-solving skills and positive attitudes
Including non-standard problems in our internal/formative assessments
Liaising with other subjects so that meaningful cross-curricular links can be made

We aim to:

Create a safe environment in which learners explore, take risks, and appreciate the value of learning from their mistakes
Celebrate multiple approaches to solving problems and discuss the merits of the different strategies offered
Provide frequent opportunities for individual and collaborative problem-solving, where learners are given both thinking time, and opportunities to share ideas and insights
Celebrate the mathematical thinking of every learner

We encourage:

Learners to engage with school Maths Club(s) and high quality maths books, ideally stocked by the school library
Learners to take advantage of printed, online and off-site mathematical enrichment opportunities
Parents and carers to engage with problem-solving through family homeworks and in-school events, while recognising that not every adult has had a positive experience of maths
Our learners to appreciate, and learn more about, the achievements of a diverse range of mathematicians