Curriculum Intent and Rationale
The Mathematics department aims to develop students into enthusiastic mathematicians. A mathematician thinks logically, is a creative problem solver, enjoys challenges and is not afraid to try different methods, and can communicate their thinking clearly on paper and/or verbally. For example, we place a big emphasis on extended pieces of work and projects. Each year group is assigned 3 projects through the year which get them to think about what they are learning in lessons in a new way. They then write about and/or present their findings in an engaging manner.
We aim to offer students interesting challenges that enhance their view of the world and their place in it. Through well chosen tasks, we want our students to be able to make choices that are backed up with sound reasoning. For example, in a task involving handling data, our students should not only be able to draw a particular statistical diagram, but should also be able to say WHY it is the best diagram for that data.
We want our students to leave school with good results, and a strong grasp of basic numeracy. To this end, all students are entered for GCSE Higher Tier Maths and all students are taught the entire spectrum of the content for the exam (as well as extra enrichment topics). We do not simply teach for the test, but do strive to prepare our students fully so that they are in a strong position to perform well in assessments.
Key Stage 3
We cover the full National Curriculum for Key Stage 3, and include extra enrichment opportunities through group projects, competitions and Maths challenges. We aim to develop a deep understanding of fundamental concepts in Maths through answering the “Why?” questions as much as the “How?”. Lesson delivery incorporates many different types of tasks and challenges – we believe that Maths is best learnt by doing it and discussing it – and aim to develop a positive working environment where student contributions are valued and celebrated.
Examples of projects that students will complete include a “History of Maths” project, where they will gain a better understanding of the depth and breadth of our wonderful subject by producing an investigative piece of work around either a mathematician or civilisation from the past. Another popular project is our “Frogs” project, where students explore sequence relationships in a different context.
Key Stage 4
Specification: Edexcel
All students work towards completing the GCSE Higher qualification. We have many students moving on to study the subject at A Level, and place a big emphasis on teaching every student every topic. We believe that all our students have the potential to gain a high grade at GCSE, and do not want to limit any by not delivering the full spectrum of the course. At all times we try to develop a deeper understanding of the underlying links between topics, and highlight these as often as possible. For instance, a unit in Year 10 on similar shapes then leads directly into a unit on Trigonometry, an area of study in which similarity is a key principle.
Students continue to be exposed to a variety of Maths from beyond the curriculum through project work, challenges and competitions. For instance, their work on indices is extended in Year 10 with a project in which they develop a basic understanding of logarithms.
Key Stage 5
Specification:
Mathematics: Edexcel
Further Mathematics: Edexcel
A Level Maths is a very popular choice within our school, and we thoroughly enjoy stretching our very able students with some challenging material. The Edexcel specification exposes students to a wide variety of new concepts, while building on key topics from GCSE.
The course is split into “Pure” and “Applied” topics, with students gaining a broad understanding on Mechanics and Statistics. Pure Mathematics focuses heavily on algebraic skills and develops students who have strong written communication skills. Their problem solving skills are strengthened with multi-step challenges where minimal scaffolding is given. The statistical concepts covered introduce hypothesis testing, a very important area of Mathematics in higher study, while mechanics develops a deeper understanding of how motion is affected by forces. By studying both areas, students are better prepared for beginning a degree in a wide variety of subjects.
Students are also encouraged to go beyond the specification in their studies by completing an investigative project on a topic of their choice, as well as being introduced to some “Decision Maths” when completing a project on how satnavs work.