Mrs A McDonald  Subject Leader      

Welcome to Mathematics

The Mathematics Department provides students with a high quality Mathematical education from ages 11 to 18. Students develop the mathematical skills and understanding they need for their journey through life. High expectations and excellent teaching lead to high standards and excellent achievement at all levels, with students of all abilities fulfilling their potential.

The Mathematics Department is very lucky to have an excellent staff of highly skilled, experienced, specialist Mathematics teachers.
All dedicated Mathematics rooms are equipped with Interactive Whiteboards and every student has access to.

During all key stages students are offered a variety of educational opportunities and activities that are integral to their learning and enhance their engagement with the concepts, processes and content of the subject.  We will endeavor to develop your daughter’s mathematical ability to ensure that she becomes functional in mathematics and financially capable so that she is able to think independently in applied and abstract ways, can reason, solve problems and assess risk. She will take part in a wide range of tasks using and applying her knowledge to describe, analyse and change a model. The content covered falls under five headings Number, Algebra, Geometry and Measures, Statistics, and Mathematical Processes.

Staffing:

Mrs McDonald (Curriculum Leader Mathematics, ICT and Business Studies)
Mr Wright (Assistant Curriculum Leader and Key Stage 3 Maths Coordinator)
Mrs Hughson (Key Stage 4 Maths Coordinator)
Mrs Mansfield (Key Stage 3 Manager)
Miss Pybis
Miss Nuttall
Miss Ford
Mr Austin

Enrichment:

The Department offers a range of activities to support the Mathematical development of the students. This includes:

• Maths Mentor Scheme


• Key Stage 3 intervention


• Key Stage 4 intervention


• Key Stage 5 consolidation


• Chess Club


• Puzzle club


• Homework support runs in Mrs McDonald’s room every lunchtime as a drop in session for KS3, 4 and 5 from 12:15 to 12:45


• GCSE Booster sessions will run every night for a fortnight before the exam date.

We have a bank of borrowable Mathematical Challenges for all Key Stages ask your teacher if you want to borrow one.
In addition we run a Maths Puzzle of the Month Competition which is available on the downloads page.

Maths Intervention

Throughout their time with us the girl’s progress is monitored closely against their targets but also against their expected rates of progress and potential. If it is felt that your daughter is having difficulty in making the appropriate amount of progress, has dipped in her most recent assessment or is not fulfilling her potential she will be invited to an intervention group where she will access a personalised programme in withdrawal, enrichment, breakfast or lunchtime sessions run by learning support or one of the maths staff.  In addition we have in class support for the lowest ability group each year when it is needed.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 students are placed in ability sets according to their Key Stage 2 result and an internal assessment in October. Lower ability sets are smaller allowing students to receive the support that they need and are often supported by a Learning Support Assistant. Assessment is ongoing and setting is reviewed regularly. Students are formally assessed in line with the assessment schedule published in the parental information booklet. After formal assessments the teacher will set targets for improvement which the girls will record in their exercise book. We would encourage you to support your daughter in her efforts to achieve her targets. If the class teacher feels it is appropriate they may set short term targets in your daughter’s exercise book.

Students study the National Curriculum and we use the Collins Maths Frameworking textbooks. We have and will continue to use the Key Stage 3 SATs to assess student’s progress at the end of the Key Stage. In addition in May of 2011 we entered Year 9 students for Level 1 or 2 Functional Skills for the first time.

During Key Stage 3 your daughter will be set 30 minutes of homework a week according to the homework timetable. These days may be different in week A and week B. We aim to give more than one night between setting homework and the submission date. There is support available to help with homework difficulties at lunchtime in one of the Maths teaching rooms. If your daughter needs help with homework she should ask the class teacher and she will be directed to the appropriate room. The girls should therefore aim to complete homework on the day it is set so that they can access this support. Homework may be set online using the MyMaths website or VLE or may be paper based. When marking paper based homeworks the teacher will give a percentage. When marking books the teacher may make a comment or set a short term target. If the teacher notices a misconception or repeated error which has not been corrected subsequently, they will model a solution or give direction on how to improve the solutions.

Skills for Life

From 2012 Functional Skills will be tested as part of the GCSE exam for the first time. Current proposals suggest that a maximum of 55% of available marks will be assessing their ability to recall and use the prescribed content. With about 26% assessing their ability to select and apply appropriate Mathematical methods and the final 19% for interpreting and analysing problems and developing strategies to solve them. We are developing our Key Stage 3 schemes of work and introducing tasks and extended projects which will develop these skills. All Year 9 girls will be entered for the Functional Skills qualification in June at Level 1 or 2 as appropriate. In order to satisfy the growing emphasis on functional and process skills your daughter will engage in a wide range of hands on group and independent tasks set increasingly in real life contexts. New to Key Stage 4 the Applications of Mathematics GCSE focuses on using and applying Mathematical processes in real life contexts.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 students are placed in ability sets according to their Key Stage 3 result and a teacher assessment. Lower ability sets are smaller allowing students to receive the support that they need and are supported by a Learning Support Assistant when there is a clear need. Assessment is ongoing and setting is reviewed regularly.

During Key Stage 4 your daughter will be set 45 minutes of homework a week according to the homework timetable. These days may be different in week A and week B. We aim to give more than one night between setting homework and the submission date. There is support available to help with homework difficulties at lunchtime in one of the Maths teaching rooms. If your daughter needs help with homework she should ask the class teacher and she will be directed to the appropriate room. The girls should therefore aim to complete homework on the day it is set so that they can access this support. Homework may be set online using the MyMaths website or VLE or may be paper based. When marking paper based homework the teacher will give a percentage. When marking books the teacher may make a comment or set a short term target. If the teacher notices a misconception or repeated error which has not been corrected subsequently, they will model a solution or give direction on how to improve the solutions.

Students are formally assessed in line with the assessment schedule published in the parental information booklet. After formal assessments the teacher will set targets for improvement which the girls will record in their exercise book. We would encourage you to support your daughter in her efforts to achieve her targets. If the class teacher feels it is appropriate they may set short term targets in your daughter’s exercise book.

GCSE Maths

All students will study GCSE Mathematics in Years 10 and 11. The GCSE in Mathematics is now a two tier examination, Foundation and Higher, with the former offering grades C – G and the latter grades A* – D.

All girls in sets 1, 2 and 3 will follow the AQA Dual Award specification which leads to the award of two GCSEs, Applications of Mathematics in Year 10 and Methods in Mathematics in Year 11. External assessments take place in January and June. All girls will be taught the syllabus for the Higher tier although it is possible that a few girls may eventually be entered at Foundation Level.  The decision on level of entry for the terminal modules will be made as late as possible after consultation with parents as this determines the range of grades available.

All girls in sets 4 and 5 will follow the WJEC linear specification. Initially they will take the external assessment in June of Year 10 at Foundation level. If they do not secure a grade C they will repeat the external examination at Foundation level in November and June of Year 11. Once they secure a grade C they will go on to study the Higher level syllabus in preparation for an external assessment I June of Year 11.

There is no coursework element for any GCSE Mathematics. The Using and Applying Mathematics strand of the Specification is now assessed through the exams. Questions are longer, involving a number of steps or processes and require greater problem solving skills. In addition there are now * questions which assess the quality of written communication ie the quality and logic of the solution.

For those beginning their GCSE course in 2010 or later Functional Skills will be tested as part of the GCSE exams. A maximum of 55% of available marks will be assessing their ability to recall and use the prescribed content, with about 26% assessing their ability to select and apply appropriate Mathematical methods and the final 19% for interpreting and analysing problems and developing strategies to solve them. We are developing our Key Stage 3 schemes of work and introducing tasks and extended projects which will develop these skills.

Key Stage 5 - A Level Mathematics

To be successful at A-level Maths you need to have the following: 

• A good grade at GCSE Maths, A or A* preferable but B as an absolute minimum.


• Good algebraic skills


• A genuine interest in Maths and solving problems


• The ability to work consistently

During the first year students study 2 modules of Core or Pure Maths, covering the following topics, often taking concepts from GCSE and extending them into more complex situations:

• Algebra


• Trigonometry


• Graphical work


• Number series

The third module will be Decision Maths which covers topics such as:

• Algorithms to solve practical problems such as sorting lists and packing objects


• Shortest route through a network


• Critical path (finding the best order for completing a series of tasks)


• Linear Programming


• Minimising cost

Students have an hour lesson of Maths every day. Regular homework assignments will be set plus at least 2 major tests each term. The first Core Maths paper will be taken in January and the second Core plus the Decision in the summer.

Modules can be re-sat as many times as necessary. We strongly encourage students to make use of the re-sit facility as exam technique develops strongly and shows significant improvement over the course.

During the second year you will take the following modules:

• Core 3 and Core 4 which extend and build on the AS Core modules.


• A second ‘applied’ module which could be Statistics or Mechanics.


• Again, one module will be taken in January and the other two in the summer.

No extra equipment beyond that needed at GCSE will be required. A good scientific calculator will suffice at A-level. Students will be issued with a text book for each module. These are from the Heinemann series and are written largely by examiners in the subject. Hence they are a vital resource in terms of emphasising the key points as well as focussing on exam practice. Revision work books are available for students to buy in the run up to exams price £3.50. In addition there is a wealth of support material on the school computer network such as powerpoints and extra worksheets, as well as links to other websites such as the Further Maths network.

Lunchtime and after school sessions are available to further enhance the level of support offered, which is particularly important during exam periods.

Key Stage 5 - A Level Further Maths

A Level Further Maths is suitable for students who have a genuine flair and ability in the subject and who are likely to be using a significant amount of Maths in Higher Education, for example degree courses in Science and Engineering. A Grade A or A* at GCSE is an essential requirement for the course.

During the first year students will follow the complete A-level single Maths course, taking Core 1 and 2, plus Decision Maths 1 with the Year 12 students. In addition students will take Core 3 and Core 4 which extend and build on the AS Core modules plus Mechanics 1 in the Further Maths group. Core 1 and Mechanics 1 are examined in January with the other four modules being tested in the summer.

During Year 13 the Further Maths A-level is taken. There is some flexibility in the actual modules studied, though at least two must be Further Pure Maths modules in which topics such as Complex Numbers, Matrices and Differential Equations are studied. In addition Statistics 1 and 2 are taken plus more Mechanics.

As in the single Maths course students will be issued with a text book for each module and again there is a wealth of support material on the school computer network such as power-points and extra worksheets, as well as links to other web-sites such as the Further Maths network

Revision Strategies - Mathematics

There is no right or wrong way of revising Maths. Try different strategies and see which one works best for you. The following may help! We remember:

• 20% of what we READ


• 30% of what we HEAR


• 40% of what we SEE


• 50% of what we SAY


• 60% of what we DO 


• 90% of what we read, hear, see, say and do

READ

• Look at revision guides


• Make notes then condense to bullet points or key words


• Use websites such as samlearning.com


• Look back at your exercise books

HEAR

• Listening to friends explain an answer


• Attending revision classes and listening to teachers

SEE

• Mind maps – brainstorm a topic, maybe with a friend


• Put formulas on post it notes around the house


• Make posters using examples/drawings.  Could be useful for volumes of shapes

SAY

• Teach a friend – explain an exam question


• Ask someone to test you


• Record some key facts and play them back


• Ask questions

DO

• Practice exam questions – use the folder and the past papers you are given. Cover the answer while you have a go and then use it to check your solution.


• Make a list of things you don’t understand – find out how to do it then go back to the list later and see if you can remember how to do it


• Look at a question and worked answer – cover the answer and see if you can reproduce it

Finally:

• Don’t forget to make a revision timetable which covers all areas of maths, not just the things you can do.  See the contents page in your folder or your revision list to help you


• Revise for no more than 40 minutes at a time – you need a break.


• Reward yourself.


• Ask a teacher if you have any problems


• For more help and tips check the download page

Downloads and useful links

How am I doing? - Key Stage 3 targets
Level3-4  Level4-5  Level5-6  Level6-7  Level7-8

How am I doing? - Key Stage 4 targets
Revision App download for your phone, ipad or PC for 59p each
Number Shape and Space  Algebra Handling Data
Number Lite (free)

GCSE Specifications

AQA set 1, 2, and 3
Dual Award Specification at a glance
Methods in Mathematics specification
Applications of Mathematics specification
WJEC set 4 and 5
Linear Mathematics specification

Key Stage 3

Key processes and key concepts at a glance
Key Stage 3 programme of study
Exam Tips for KS3
BrainGym - Exercise the grey matter
Ten 4 Ten  revision resource