Maths

head of department: Mr miller
Intent

Mathematics offers us an alternative perspective of God’s creation and the means to analyse and describe the wonders of the universe. Our intent is that our students should be given the understanding, knowledge and skills which will enable them to share in that perspective commensurate with their God-given talents.

To equip our students to that end we will endeavour to develop them as life-long learners, who will become: independent, resilient and confident adults capable of thriving in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

Implementation

Prior to baseline testing in Year 7, all students review some of the key mathematics topics learnt at primary school. Students then take a test so that they can be placed into ability sets, ensuring that all students are both challenged and supported and that they are working at a pace suitable for them to make the best progress. Students in Years 7 and 8 study topics in the six content areas identified in the GCSE Mathematics specification: Number; Algebra; Ratio, proportion and rates of change; Geometry and measures; Probability; Statistics. This ensures a broad curriculum that prepares students for the GCSE Mathematics course.
Studying topics within only one content area for an extended period of time (often a half term) gives students the opportunity to deepen their understanding, developing mathematics mastery.

The scheme of work for students in Years 9, 10 and 11 follows a different style, with topics from more than one of the content areas being taught each half term. This helps students to develop the skills to transfer their thinking from one area to another which is an essential skill in GCSE Mathematics. In Years 10 and 11, the scheme of work is a combination of new learning and revisiting and revising prior learning to ensure students have a strong understanding of prerequisite topics before extending their learning and to help prepare them for their GCSE examinations.

At Key Stage 5, students have different options for their continued study for Mathematics. They can choose to extend their mathematical knowledge by studying A Level Mathematics and there is also the option to study AS Level Further Mathematics. Alternatively, students can follow the Core Mathematics course to achieve a Level 3 qualification. Whilst studying this course, students will learn to apply the mathematics they have learnt at GCSE level (as well as some new mathematics) in more real-life contexts. This course can also help to support students with the mathematical content in A Level courses such as Psychology and Biology.

At all key stages, lessons include:

  • Use of mini-whiteboards to help students develop their confidence, to allow the teacher to assess students’ understanding throughout the lesson and to promote discussion about different methods used
  • A variety of activities to engage students with different learning styles and to develop a variety of skills, including teamwork and ICT skills
  • Discussions on the application of various topics to real-life contexts

Students receive feedback regularly to help celebrate their successes and identify areas for improvement to help them make progress. At all key stages, assessments take place regularly and progress is monitored carefully. Assessments are designed in a style to help prepare students for formal examinations.

Impact

Students will become confident and enthusiastic mathematicians with a positive attitude to the subject. They will have fluency in the fundamentals of mathematics and will be able to reason mathematically, applying their mathematical knowledge to a variety of situations, including real-life contexts. They will develop resilience when solving problems and when making mistakes, which they will appreciate can be part of finding the correct solution. As students progress through their mathematics education, they will develop their knowledge and skills, following a scheme of work which has been designed to ensure that at each stage, they are well-prepared for the next step of their learning.