Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected subject that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Year 7-9 (Key Stage 3)
In Year 7, pupils are initially broadly set for the first few weeks, then sets are realigned after the first half term. After that, setting is reviewed at regular intervals throughout the year. The expectation is that the all sets in Year 7 to 9 will move through scheme of work at broadly the same pace. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly will be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material will consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
Due to the more demanding content in the new GCSE syllabus, GCSE work will start in Year 9 so pupils should regard this year as being an integral part of their GCSE. At GCSE, pupils follow the AQA GCSE Mathematics course.
Years 10-11 (GCSE)
Examination Board: AQA
The course will include:
- Data handling, presentation, analysis and probability.
- Number systems, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, proportion, expressions and equations, sequences and linear functions.
- Properties of angles and shapes, geometrical reasoning and calculation, measures and construction, mensuration, graphical methods and further algebraic techniques.
We also offer GCSE Further Mathematics (AQA) for students who are capable of extending their mathematical skills at a higher level. The knowledge and skills obtained during this course puts pupils at an advantage when embarking on Maths A Level. This optional course runs weekly after school during Year 11.
Sixth Form (A Level)
Click here for the sixth form section.
Mathematics Lectures and Workshops
Students in the sixth form are given the opportunity to attend the Florence Nightingale Day at Lancaster University. This year, the event comprised talks by prominent female mathematicians, a maths quiz and opportunities for informal discussions with current students at Lancaster. The aim of the day was to promote Mathematics and Statistics and especially the participation of women in those subjects. The day was aimed especially at female students but was open to male students too.
While Florence Nightingale is well-known for her medical work as a nurse, she was also a pioneer in Statistics, especially in the use of visualisation of statistical data. The speakers delivered subjects which were both challenging and inspirational and the students thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to expand their minds and see the world from a new perspective.
Other information
Mathematics Clinics and the Mathematics Enrichment Club
Mathematics Clinics run at lunchtimes to support students of all ages and abilities. Pupils are always welcome to attend on an ad hoc basis, and sometimes at the recommendation of their teacher, to seek clarification and additional explanation.
In addition a number of support lessons are given throughout the examination period to Year 11 and sixth form students in order to further their understanding. The Mathematics Enrichment Club exists to encourage bright and interested mathematicians of all ages to develop their depth of knowledge via puzzles, challenges and investigations. It is also used to prepare pupils for their entry to national competitions such as the UKMT challenges.
Optional Extension Tasks
In years 7 and 8, optional extensions tasks are set for all pupils approximately once a fortnight. Students are encouraged to attempt these problem solving exercises and house points are awarded to students for attempting them. This initiative was set up to enable pupils to become more independent in their learning and to strengthen students’ problems skills.
The UKMT Mathematics Challenges
The UKMT Individual Maths Challenges are lively, intriguing multiple choice question papers, which are designed to stimulate interest in maths in large numbers of pupils. The papers contain 25 multiple choice questions. Of these, the first 15 are more accessible whilst the final 10 will provide more food for thought.
Our pupils have gained excellent results in the challenges over the last academic year. Please follow the link below to see our successes.