Mathematics

Curriculum Intent

Our aim is for students to be the very best Mathematician they can be. Students are taught to think and speak like Mathematicians. Quality first teaching drives students to understand Mathematical principles so that they can apply them in a variety of contexts – inside the classroom and beyond. All Maths teachers are Maths specialists and pride themselves on a strong subject knowledge. This allows us to teach content with confidence and clarity so that students are able to understand topics and make links between them. This enables students to be more mathematically fluent and competent. 

The curriculum design builds knowledge and skills in a spiral body of knowledge. The five main areas of number, algebra, ratio, shape and data are visited each term. Students are continuously exposed to more complex content, consolidating and building on prior learning. This allows a smooth transition across each key stage. We are ambitious for all students. Support and challenge is built into our pedagogy. 

Throughout the year students take part in Enigma and Pi Day. World Maths Day and Numeracy Day are planned for 2023-24. We use these additional opportunities to celebrate the value, vitality and history of Maths across the whole school community. 

We ensure that our scheme of learning goes beyond the curriculum. As a department we offer opportunities for individual and team competitions through UKMT. Students are also encouraged to attend Level 2 Further Maths sessions which we offer as enrichment. Other enrichment opportunities include chess club, homework club, exam intervention. Maths is also working closely with the SEN department to run an entry level club between October and Christmas. 

Literacy homework helps students understand the key words of each module and students are given extracts about the “Historic Use of Maths” to help with their reading comprehension. The quality and variety of language that students hear and speak are key factors in developing their mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as others and teachers should ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions. Students are assessed through key task, examinations and homework which are in line with the whole school policy. 

As a department we believe that knowledge enables the application of mathematical flair. Our departmental resources give students the tools they need to develop their mathematical skills and ability both at school and independently at home. 

Mathematics Learning Journeys

Keystage 3

The new national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
• Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

In Year 7, students engage with a comprehensive trust-wide curriculum that introduces key mathematical concepts including error bounds, Pythagoras' Theorem, interpreting scatter graphs and estimating the mean from a frequency table. The curriculum is designed to challenge students with multi-step problems, fostering a deep understanding of mathematical principles.

The BHCET maths overview suggests an order and guides the content for the year but there is autonomy within schools as to specifically how this is delivered. Year 7 now undertake two trust-wide assessments which support the quality assurance of the curriculum implementation, and sharing of best practice between schools. This will be rolled out sequentially each year until all of KS3 is mapped out in this way.

Calculator Recommendations

For KS3 & KS4, our Maths Department recommend a LOGIK calculator which can be purchased via MCAS for £6.29

Mathematics KS3 Curriculum Overviews

GCSE

Calculator Recommendations

For KS3 & KS4, our Maths Department recommend a LOGIK calculator which can be purchased via MCAS for £6.29.

If you are thinking about taking A Level Maths, you may want to invest in the calculator suggested for Sixth Form during your GCSE years as it has more functions for specific higher level topics.

GCSE Maths has changed and getting more demanding for everyone:

• The volume of subject content has increased.
• The demand of that content is increasing too, with harder topics being introduced. This is true for both your Foundation Tier students and Higher Tier students.
• The total time for the examinations is increasing, from 3 ½ hours to 4 ½ hours. All exams will be sat at the end of the course.
• There are fewer marks at the lower grades and more marks at the higher grades at both Foundation Tier and Higher Tier.
• A new grading structure has been introduced, from grade 9 to 1, to replace the familiar A* to G grading scale.

  Classes 1 to 3 follow the Edexcel higher course.
  Classes 4 to 5 follow the OCR foundation course.

Mathematics GCSE Curriculum Overviews

Sixth Form

Calculator Requirement

For KS5, our Maths Department require students to have a Casio FX-991EX Scientific Calculator

This retails at £20-£25. Click HERE for details

If you are thinking about taking A Level Maths, you may want to invest in this calculator in your GCSE years as it has more functions for specific higher level topics.

A level Maths aims and objectives are:

• Understand mathematics and mathematical processes in a way that promotes confidence, fosters enjoyment and provides a strong foundation for progress to further study
• Extend their range of mathematical skills and techniques
• Understand coherence and progression in mathematics and how different areas of mathematics are connected
• Apply mathematics in other fields of study and be aware of the relevance of mathematics to the world of work and to situations in society in general
• Use their mathematical knowledge to make logical and reasoned decisions in solving problems both within pure mathematics and in a variety of contexts, and communicate the mathematical rationale for these decisions clearly
• Reason logically and recognise incorrect reasoning
• Generalise mathematically
• Construct mathematical proofs
• Use their mathematical skills and techniques to solve challenging problems that require them to decide on the solution strategy
• Recognise when mathematics can be used to analyse and solve a problem in context
• Represent situations mathematically and understand the relationship between problems in context and mathematical models that may be applied to solve them
• Draw diagrams and sketch graphs to help explore mathematical situations and interpret solutions
• Make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions by using mathematical reasoning
• Interpret solutions and communicate their interpretation effectively in the context of the problem
• Read and comprehend mathematical arguments, including justifications of methods and formulae, and communicate their understanding
• Read and comprehend articles concerning applications of mathematics and communicate their understanding
• Use technology such as calculators and computers effectively and recognise when their use may be inappropriate
• Take increasing responsibility for their own learning and the evaluation of their own mathematical development.
• In the assessments there’s a greater emphasis on problem solving and mathematical reasoning, with more marks now being allocated to these higher-order skills.
• Students will be required to memorise formulae – fewer formulae will be provided in examinations.
• Together these changes are designed to help students emerge from GCSE Maths with a level of confidence and fluency that will provide a genuine foundation for the rest of their learning and working lives.

Mathematics Sixth Form Curriculum Overviews