Mathematics is one of the best subjects to develop your analytical, research and problem-solving skills. It is diverse, engaging and essential in equipping you with the right skills to reach their future destination, whatever that may be. Not only will studying maths help give you the knowledge to tackle scientific, mechanical, coding and abstract problems, it will also help you develop logic to tackle everyday issues like planning projects, managing budgets and even debating effectively. CSE Maths covers all aspects of mathematics including: number algebra geometry and measures statistics and probability and ratio proportion and rates of change Students will be assessed in either the foundation or higher tier AQA Examination Board Paper 1 Non-Calculator Written examination 1 hour 30minutes 33.3% Paper 2 Calculator Written examination 1 hour 30minutes 33.3% Paper 3 Calculator Written examination 1 hour 30minutes 33.3% Students should be aware that if they do not achieve a Grade 4 in mathematics, they will be required to resit this at college or sixth form.
Transcript
Mathematics is one of the best subjects to develop your analytical,
research and problem-solving skills. It is diverse, engaging and essential in
equipping you with the right skills to reach their future destination,
whatever that may be. Not only will studying maths help give you the
knowledge to tackle scientific, mechanical, coding and abstract
problems, it will also help you develop logic to tackle everyday issues like
planning projects, managing budgets and even debating effectively.
CSE Maths covers all aspects of mathematics including:
number
algebra
geometry and measures
statistics and probability and ratio
proportion and rates of change
Students will be assessed in either the foundation or higher tier
AQA Examination Board
Paper 1 Non-Calculator Written examination
1 hour 30minutes
33.3%
Paper 2 Calculator Written examination
1 hour 30minutes
33.3%
Paper 3 Calculator Written examination
1 hour 30minutes
33.3%
Students should be aware that if they do not achieve a Grade 4 in
mathematics, they will be required to resit this at college or sixth form.
MATHS DEPARTMENT: STATEMENT OF CURRICULUM INTENT
INTENT Our intent is to spark students’ excitement in Maths lessons in order to develop within them a passion for the subject which will inspire and drive them from KS3 to KS4 into KS5 and beyond. We intend to provide students with opportunities to glean a deep level of mathematical knowledge and understanding that will enable them to be creative in solving problems and be confident in their mathematical abilities. In this way we expect all teachers in the department to hold and demonstrate the highest possible expectations of students and motivate them to raise their own expectations of what they can achieve. Our three main areas of focus as a department are: 1. Clear teacher modelling: Students need to be exposed to good quality exemplars in order to experience ways of working that demonstrate the highest standards. Access to these exemplars will allow students to feel empowered and will encourage them to act independently as reflective mathematical practitioners. 2. Engagement: Students need to be engaged in order to benefit from being in Maths lessons. We intend for students to feel a sense of responsibility and pride towards their own learning and engage with the opportunities presented to them in the classroom. In this way we expect that students will develop the key characteristics of a fluent mathematician including; perseverance, integrity, intimacy, independence, concentration, utilisation of feelings, cooperation and reflection. 3. Reasoning and problem solving: In order to deepen students’ understanding and knowledge of Mathematics they must be exposed to a range of non-routine problems and have the opportunity to reason mathematically. We intend to maximise students’ opportunities to reason in lessons and to apply their knowledge to various situations in order to develop their mathematical understanding by allowing them to experience a wide range of different problems. These three principles will ensure our pupils leave The Brittons Academy with a lifelong appreciation of Maths, confident that they possess the skills and knowledge required to be successful in their future education, employment or training.
KS3 We are committed to a three year KS3 curriculum which builds a strong foundation for all students and prepares them smoothly for the transition to KS4 and KS5. Our curriculum is designed to allow all students to access higher level content at GCSE. We strongly believe that our KS3 curriculum must build on the pre-existing skills and knowledge which students have developed at KS2 without repetition of this content. As such we have developed a scheme of work for Year 7 and 8 based on the White Rose Maths KS3 curriculum. This is aligned with the National Curriculum objectives at KS3 and builds on the National Curriculum objectives from KS2. Our Year 9 Scheme of Work is a bespoke model based on students’ prior skills and knowledge from Year 7 and Year 8 and bridging the gap to the maths GCSE. Our curriculum supports our department principles by exposing pupils to a range of various representations (concrete, pictorial and abstract) in order to support students’ engagement in lessons and develop their reasoning and problem solving skills. We intend to provide students with clear, consistent modelling across the department with the teacher acting as an expert to narrate the problem solving process. The focus on clear teacher modelling also has the intended effect of developing our teachers and keeping them up to date with the latest mathematical pedagogy in order to provide the highest quality of teaching and learning for our students. In our weekly department meeting time, we use the curriculum maps to jointly plan learning experiences that will challenge and motivate our students, demonstrating the high expectations we have of them.
KS4 At KS4 our chosen exam board is AQA. This decision aligns us with the other schools in the Trust and is based on the lower word count which supports our students with lower literacy levels. It is our experience that AQA is more balanced in its assessment of problem-solving and reasoning skills and is therefore our exam board of choice in order to complement our department focus on the development of these skills. Our Year 10 scheme of work is designed specifically for the AQA exam board and makes use of the exam board approved textbook. We have modified the AQA 2-year scheme of work based on students’ prior knowledge at KS3 in order to build in more opportunities for interleaving and spaced practice. At Year 11 this year students follow a bespoke scheme of work based on their areas for development from the end of Year 10 assessment. This “Journey to Success” is monitored and adapted by the Head of Department in collaboration with the class teacher. We want to prepare students for their GCSE exams by exposing them regularly to exam style questions, particularly those requiring mathematical reasoning and problem solving skills. We also wish to equip teachers with the essential skill of sequencing content effectively to maximise learning and knowledge retention. As a department, we use our weekly meeting time to discuss methods of sequencing and ways of building in high quality practice tasks for students. We intend to provide all students with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge required to access the various Maths courses at Key Stage 5. As such, our aim as a department is for students to be successful and achieve the highest possible outcomes at the end of KS4.
