Overview

Our scheme of work is based on a model of progression which enables students to develop their ability to use and apply mathematics which will empower them to see the value of mathematics beyond the classroom. A nurturing environment will build confidence in budding mathematicians, who reflect on their own learning, develop independence, problem solving and reasoning skills. Our students are grouped by prior attainment to meet all their needs.

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KS3 Intent Statement

To create an environment where students feel confident in their own ability, are prepared to take risks and accept that mistakes are part of learning mathematics. The key intent of the curriculum at KS3 is developing students understanding of the fundamental concepts, ideas and mathematical structures they are exposed to. Students who grasp concepts rapidly will be challenged through rich tasks which require deep connected thinking.
There are many connections across all aspects of mathematics and this means that particular topics will have prerequisites. This informs the sequence of learning throughout the curriculum to ensure that students are not exposed to new topics without a sound understanding of linked prior knowledge. Students will also be exposed to multiple representations of mathematical concepts and focus students attention on ‘how’ and ‘why’ problems are solved rather that ‘what’ the final answer is.
Mathematics at Key Stage 3 aims to build confidence and resilience in budding mathematicians, who reflect on their own learning, develop independence, problem solving and reasoning skills.

Year 7

In Year 7, students will study content from all of the strands of Mathematics, this includes Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics. Some aspects of what is learnt will be familiar to the students however the nature in which this is taught will develop a deeper understanding of the structure of the concepts behind the content and encourage students to use this knowledge to develop reasoning and problem solving skills. There will also be plenty of new content; in particular, students are introduced to Probability for the first time in year 7.

Activities and tasks used in lessons will aim to promote independent learning and encourage the year 7 students to be resilient as well as reflective. These are key skills required of all students in order for them to make progress and are particularly important for year 7 students making the transition from Primary to Secondary.

Year 7 students will initially be set according to achievement at KS2 however they will be assessed every half term and adjustments to groups will be made when needed to ensure all students are supported and challenged appropriate to their needs.

Year 8

In Year 8, students will continue to study content from all of the strands of Mathematics, this includes Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics. Year 8 students will build on their knowledge and understanding of Maths gained in Year 7 as well as continuing to develop their skills in problem solving and reasoning.

Year 8 students will be assessed every half term and adjustments to groups will be made when needed to ensure all students are supported and challenged appropriate to their needs.

Year 9

In Year 9, students will continue to study content from all of the strands of Mathematics, this includes Number, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics. Year 9 students will build on their knowledge and understanding of Maths gained in Year 8 as well as continuing to develop their mathematical thinking skills preparing them for the challenge and rigor of GCSE mathematics.

Year 9 students will be assessed every half term and adjustments to groups will be made when needed to ensure all students are supported and challenged appropriate to their needs.

Overview

GCSE (9 – 1) Mathematics is a challenging course which develops upon the progressions students have made throughout Key Stage 3. As with Key Stage 3 students will study topics in Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics. Our GCSE course will focus on develop students problem solving and mathematical reasoning skills. Students will be set by prior attainment and progress will be closely monitored during the two year GCSE course to ensure students are placed in the right set to suit their needs. There are two tiers of entry at GCSE (9 – 1) Mathematics, Higher tier which covers grades 9 – 4 and Foundation tier which covers grades 5 – 1. The decision on which tier of entry will be based on students prior attainment and will be chosen to ensure the best possible outcome for each individual student.

KS4 Intent Statement

Build upon the fundamentals of mathematics developed over the course of Key Stage 3 to enable students to reason mathematically and be able to solve problems in an effective systematic way. The KS4 curriculum is designed to ensure the content delivered to students is suitable for their needs. The curriculum will be fluid in order to match the needs of each teaching group and focussed upon students targeted attainment outcome.
Key threads will run through the two years with regular recall and practice alongside delivery of new content. Explicit links will be made to the Assessment objectives and connections will be made from the work carried out in lessons to what it looks like in an exam.
Algebraic manipulation, numerical fluency and multiplicative reasoning will remain a key focus, in lessons and beyond to deepen understanding. This will provide the best preparation for students who wish to study mathematics post 16. A commitment to the UKMT gives students the opportunity to enhance understanding of the breadth and depth of mathematics.

Qualification Details

Exam Board: Edexcel
Qualification Title: Mathematics
Qualification Specification Code: 1MA1
Qualification Webpage: Click here to visit the Edexcel webpage for the specification.

Why should I study this course?

Studying GCSE(9-1) Mathematics will enable you to:
• Develop fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts.
• Acquire, select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems
• Reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions
• Comprehend, interpret and communicate mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context.

What knowledge and/or skills will I need?

Skills you will need or required to develop include:
• Resilience, be willing to give everything a go, not be scared to get things wrong and to be stuck, it means you are learning.
• Be willing to practice what you have learnt, you need to spend time practicing skills to be able to apply them to challenging problems.
• Be able to break problems down into smaller pieces to enable you to apply things you already know to unfamiliar contexts.
• Be able to spot patterns and then use what you have learnt to generalise a situation and apply it to solve a problem.

What will I study in this qualification?

GCSE mathematics follows on from the foundations build during Year 7, 8 and 9. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the key areas of mathematics including: Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measures, Probability and Statistics. A key focus at GCSE is developing student’s ability to apply their mathematical knowledge to unfamiliar problems and situations.

During lessons students will continue to build their mathematical toolkit and there will be a key focus on developing mathematical thinking and reasoning skills. The aim is to ensure students understand the structure behind mathematical concepts and ideas. Students will be shown a range of mathematical methods and problem solving techniques which help to build connections between all aspects of mathematics.

The time spent on particular content areas over the two years is linked to how the content is assessed in the final examinations.
At Foundation tier:
• Number – 25%
• Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change – 25%
• Algebra – 20%
• Statistics and Probability – 15%
• Geometry and Measure – 1%

At Higher tier:
• Algebra – 30%
• Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change – 20%
• Geometry and Measures – 20%
• Number – 15%
• Statistics and Probability – 15%

How will I be assessed?

GCSE (9-1) Mathematics is assessed through three equally weighted written examinations at either Foundation or Higher tier sat at the end of Year 11.

Students must take all three papers at either Foundation or Higher tier.

Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes long and is out of 80 marks.

Paper 1 is a Non-Calculator paper.
Paper 2 and 3 are Calculator papers.

Each paper will assess a range of different topics studied across the whole GCSE course that are unknown prior to the examination. Some topics will appear on both Non-Calculator and Calculator papers and could be assessed in more than one of the three papers.

Foundation Tier covers grades 1 – 5.
Higher Tier covers grades 4 – 9.

The final grade will be awarded on the nine-grade scale from 9 to 1 using the total mark achieved across all three papers. Individual papers are not graded.

Possible Career Paths

Mathematics offers a huge variety of career opportunities, some examples of possible career paths include:
Accountancy and Professional Service
Actuarial Profession
Banking – Investment/Retail
Computing and IT
Engineering
General Management
Operational Research
Statistical Research
Teaching
Economics
Architect
Meteorologist

Overview

This course will develop knowledge and skills to help model and solve complex mathematical situations. It gives insight into how mathematical models predict and explain the world around us. It builds on the understanding and problem solving techniques established at Higher GCSE, including Algebraic Manipulation and Trigonometry, as well as introducing new areas of Mathematics such as Calculus. The content of this course is two thirds Pure Mathematics (two exams) and one third Statistics and Mechanics in equal proportions (one exam). The Mechanics element of the A level pairs well with Physics A Level, however, this is not a requirement for the course. Students will be required to have a calculator more advanced than the GCSE Scientific Calculator. Purchasing these will be organised through the school at a discounted rate when the course commences in September. A Level Mathematics is held in high regard. It is a challenging subject that continually builds on prior knowledge, introducing new content and deepening understanding in order to solve complex problems. A solid understanding of the GCSE algebra content is key to success in this subject and this is tested via an algebra test that is sat at the beginning of the course. We provide transition work that helps students prepare for this. There is an expectation throughout the A Level Mathematics course that students work outside of lessons consolidating understanding and ensuring that full corrections are completed for all home studies and assessments. To help with this we offer additional support sessions three times a week and extra timetabled lessons as required.

KS5 Intent Statement

The foundations of the Key Stage 5 curriculum are to enable students to successfully transition from Key Stage 4 to the challenge of A-Level and Further Mathematics. Students will continue to develop resilience and independence enabling them to overcome challenges as they deepen their mathematical knowledge.

The curriculum is sequenced in a way so that student’s draw on prior knowledge. Links are consistently made between Pure and Applied content to enable students to see the bigger picture to develop them to be more cohesive mathematical thinkers. 

Students will be supported in developing their ability to supplement the learning which takes place in lessons with private study to consolidate their understanding. This will enable students to be prepared in their future study/employment post sixth form.

Qualification Details

Exam Board: Edexcel
Qualification Title: Mathematics
Qualification Specification Code: 9371
Qualification Webpage: Click here to visit the Edexcel webpage for the specification.

Entry Requirements

Standard Sixth Form entry requirements, plus minimum Mathematics GCSE grade 6 or above but preferably grade 7 or above

What will I study in this qualification?

Content Overview

Pure

·         Algebra and Functions

·         Geometry

·         Trigonometry

·         Calculus

·         Logarithms

·         Vectors

Statistics

·        Data Presentation and Interpretation

·        Hypothesis Testing

·        Probability

·         The Normal Distribution

Mechanics

·       Forces and Newtons Lams

·       Kinematics

·         Moments

Possible Career Paths

Mathematics, Science and Technology based degrees, Architecture, Engineering, Finance, Medical degrees, Computing, Law, Economics, Business and Management.  Research has found that having an A Level in Mathematics makes the biggest difference to the offer you’ll receive from a top university, even if it’s not required for the course you’ve applied for. This course will provide students with key employability skills such as problem-solving, logical reasoning, communication and resilience. We aim to support the development of confident, independent thinkers who are determined and relentless in their efforts and therefore work highly efficiently and effectively. This A Level is a versatile qualification that is well respected by employers and provides excellent preparation for a wide range of University courses.