The National Curriculum Order describes what must be taught in each key stage. This Framework provides guidance to supplement the Order. It has been developed alongside the proposals for the revised National Curriculum so that it is compatible with them.

The Framework contains a set of yearly teaching programmes illustrating how mathematics can be planned and taught from Reception to Year 6. It includes guidance on the daily mathematics lesson in which this teaching will take place and on the assessment of pupils' progress.

The objectives in the yearly teaching programmes cover all aspects of the National Curriculum for mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2. The programme for Reception takes account of the Early Learning Goals for 3- to 5-year-olds, and provides a bridge from the Goals to the National Curriculum.

Some of the objectives in the yearly programmes are more critical than others if children are to become numerate. These key objectives are listed in a separate section and are also highlighted in bold type in the yearly teaching programmes. They are central to all pupils' achievements in relation to the National Curriculum level descriptions, and hence to their performance in teacher assessments and tests. Teachers should give priority to these key objectives when they are planning work and assessing pupils' progress.

Each yearly teaching programme is accompanied by grids to help teachers to plan a term's lessons in outline. The planning grids show how mathematical topics can be grouped in units of work throughout the term. A recommended number of lessons is given for each unit. Time is built in for half-termly assessment and review.

After the yearly teaching programmes and planning grids come supplements of examples, for Reception, Years 1-3 and Years 4-6. These examples are not intended to be covered as a 'scheme of work', or used as a 'textbook' or for worksheets. Their purpose is to illustrate, for each teaching objective, a selection of what pupils should know, understand and be able to do by the end of each school year. Over time, teachers should add to and replace the examples with those that they find most useful and cross-reference them to other resources, including information and communications technology (ICT), to form a working document.

The section on planning discusses in detail the key objectives, yearly teaching programmes, planning grids and examples, and explains how to use them.