Mathematics

At Saint Aidan’s we aim to stimulate, develop and maintain every student’s curiosity, interest and enjoyment in mathematics. We aim to maximise their mathematical potential at GCSE and prepare them all for Mathematics at A level or for life and work outside of education.

Here is a link to our curriculum statement:

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 students are taught in sets according to their ability. The setting is designed so that all youngsters are challenged at an appropriate level towards gaining as high a grade as possible at the end of each year. In Year 7 the highest achievers at Key Stage 2 will find themselves in a top set of around 32 students, those achieving at or around the national average at Key Stage 2 will begin in a set 2 or set 3 of around 25-30 students. Regular assessments will decide whether movement between sets is necessary throughout the three years of Key Stage 3.

All students will have three lessons of Mathematics each week at Key Stage 3. Lessons are all taught by highly experienced mathematics specialist teachers and consist of a variety of learning styles and approaches. Typically lessons in mathematics utilise the use of technology (such as tablets and interactive whiteboards), involve the students in paired work (including card sorts and Kagan structures) and also contain periods of more traditional individualised learning using textbooks and worksheets to ensure that students are well practised in the mathematics they have been taught. Homework will be set once every week for all classes.

All students follow the same Schemes of Learning which fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and spiral from one year to the next but with controlled and minimal repetition. The content is designed, through the careful sequencing of the basic maths skills and knowledges, to stretch students of all abilities. The aim when teaching all topics, is for students to become fluent and precise mathematicians by working upon their declarative and procedural knowledges and enriched mathematically by being exposed to a wide range of associated contextualised problems. SEND students have access to the same curriculum as everyone else, with TA support given as appropriate.

Progress is tracked using assessments and end of year exams based upon the work covered with a variety of intervention strategies adopted for those who struggle to meet their targets. At the end of each year at Key Stage 3, students sit two written exams to assess their progress during the year and a mental arithmetic exam to assess their overall level of numeracy. These exams are reflective of the types of skills required at GCSE.

Here is an overview of our Key Stage 3 Mathematics curriculum:

Key Stage 4

All Year 10 and 11 students follow the AQA 8300 GCSE Mathematics Specification. This can be viewed or downloaded, using the link below:-

GCSE/Mathematics-8300

Students have four hours of Mathematics each week. The course is 100% examination and assesses the students’ abilities in:

Each GCSE class is taught by two mathematics teachers who cover three of these strands each, which we believe ensures a more comprehensive coverage of the curriculum. Students are again put into sets according to their ability with some sets following a Higher Scheme of learning whilst others follow a Foundation scheme. Ultimately students will be entered for Higher Tier exams if they are aiming for grades 6 to 9 and Foundation Tier exams if they are aiming for grade 4 to 5. All students will sit internal exams in December and March of Year 10 and December and March of Year 11. These exams will be used as the best evidence for deciding which tier is most suitable for each student.

The Schemes of Learning are sequenced, with plenty of associated interleaving opportunities, to build fluency in the skills necessary to succeed in the six strands above. Progress of all students is carefully tracked using five mock exams positioned throughout the course, with changes in tier sometimes the outcome.

Here is an overview of our Key Stage 4 Mathematics curriculum:

The final GCSE exams are as follows:

GCSE Mathematics results at Saint Aidan’s have consistently been high over the years and we put a lot of effort into ensuring that all students are appropriately challenged at the correct level. SEND students access the same curriculum as the other students but we also offer the AQA Entry Level Certificate in Mathematics to all our lower attaining students at Key Stage 4. These students still sit the GCSE exams described above but this dual entry ensures that everyone leaves Saint Aidan’s with at least one qualification in mathematics.

Enrichment

Throughout their time at Saint Aidan’s students are encouraged to become investigative problem solvers and many of our high achieving students gain certification in the UKMT Maths Challenges at both Junior (Year 7 & 8) and Intermediate (Year 10 & 11) levels.

Those students who are struggling to achieve national standards during Key Stage 3 are offered regular extra numeracy intervention classes with a specialist mathematics teacher. These have proved extremely popular and successful over the years

Department Staff