Mathematics

Maths FAQs

How does setting work in Maths?

In year 7, students are put into ability groups based on their assessments from their primary school, however, these are not strict sets. Sets 1 and 2 are mixed high ability, sets 3 and 4 are mixed middle ability and set 5 is low ability. This allows the students to settle in and the maths department to collect data through a variety of assessments over the course of year 7 before putting them into sets ready for Year 8-11. These sets are reviewed each term to ensure that students are in an appropriate set to help maximise their progress.

How does Maths intervention work?

Students are monitored by their Maths teacher to ensure that they are making good progress. Maths teachers will provide additional support where necessary for example setting extra work on MyMaths or Dr Frost Maths. If further support is required, some students are offered additional support through during Core PE for 10 hours - this is decided by the subject leader for Maths alongside the Pupil Support Coordinator.

`Maths is for life – not just for school!' This is the motto for the Mathematics department at Higham Lane School and we believe that Maths is an essential subject that will allow students to be successful, wherever their lives take them.

Our Maths curriculum promotes mastery of the subject and will improve problem solving skills, as well as in-depth knowledge of basic skills. Maths is powerful and important as it can show things to be absolutely true. Students will learn skills that they will need to be lifelong learners. We regularly assess the students and offer appropriate support to learners when it is required.

At Key Stage 4, Maths is a core subject and students are entered for either Higher or Foundation GCSE in Year 11.

At Key Stage 5, students are entered for A-level Mathematics at the end of Year 13. Students who have chosen A-level Further Mathematics are also entered at the end of Year 13.

Year 7 Curriculum

At Key Stage 3, students are taught a range of topics from the five key areas of Maths; Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measure and Statistics. These topics enable us to secure the key skills required to help support their preparation for GCSE Mathematics.

The Year 7 Curriculum covers the following topics: Number Properties, Geometry and Measure, Introduction to Algebra, Fractions, Decimals and Percentages, Approximation, Algebra 2, Collecting and Interpreting Data, Sequences and Graphs, Proportion and Ratio and Scale.

Students will sit a formal unit test after each unit to enable teachers to provide detailed analysis of their strengths and areas for development. In addition, students will sit a termly assessment that covers all content taught throughout the year.

Year 8 Curriculum

The Year 8 Curriculum covers the following topics: Shape properties, Algebra 3, Transformations, Probability, Triangles and Congruency, Interpreting Data, Circles, Proportion 2, Solving Equations, Plotting and Sketching Graphs.

Year 9 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4, students are taught a range of topics from the five key areas of Maths; Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measure and Statistics. The content taught at Year 9 introduces key topics from GCSE that build the foundations of the GCSE curriculum, ensuring that they can progress to either the Foundation or Higher Tier, a decision that is not made until Year 11.

The Year 9 curriculum includes the following units: Basic calculations skills, Number theory, Algebraic expressions, Functions and sequences, Shapes and Solids, Construction and Loci, Further Algebra, Equations, Angles, Decimals, Units and Measurement, Percentages, Algebraic formulae, Perimeter, Area and Approximation.

Year 10 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4, students are taught a range of topics from the five key areas of Maths; Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measure and Statistics. The content taught in Year 10 builds on topics taught in Year 9 to further develop students’ knowledge of the GCSE curriculum, ensuring that they can progress to either the Foundation or Higher Tier, a decision that is not made until Year 11.

The Year 10 curriculum includes the following topics: Straight Line Graphs, Other Graphs, Three-dimensional Shapes, Volume and Surface Area, Calculations with Ratio, Basic Probability, Further Probability, Powers and Roots, Standard Form, Surds, Plane Vector Geometry, Transformations, Congruent Triangles, Similarity, Pythagoras’ Theorem and Trigonometry,

Year 11 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4, students are taught a range of topics from the five key areas of Maths; Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change, Geometry and Measure and Statistics. The content delivered in Year 11 completes the GCSE course and provides a detailed revision programme to ensure students are prepared effectively for their examinations with a focus on exam-style questions and techniques.

The Year 11 curriculum includes the following topics: Circle theorems, discrete growth and decay, Direct and inverse proportion, Collecting and displaying data, Analysing data, Interpreting graphs, Algebraic inequalities, Transformations of curves.

Students will sit a formal unit test after each unit to enable teachers to provide detailed analysis of their strengths and areas for development. Students will sit trial examinations which again provided detailed analysis of their strengths and areas for development allowing a clear programme of revision to be tailored to their needs.

Year 12 Curriculum

In A-level Mathematics, the students will study: Proof, Algebra and Functions, Coordinate Geometry, Sequences, Trigonometry, Exponentials and Logarithms, Differentiation, Integration, Vectors, Quantities and Units in Mechanics, Kinematics, Forces and Newton’s Laws, Statistical Sampling, Data Presentation and Interpretation, Probability, Statistical Distributions and Statistical Hypothesis Testing.

In A-level Further Mathematics the students will study: Proof, Complex numbers, Matrices, Further Algebra and Functions, Further Calculus, Discrete Probability Distributions, Poisson and Binomial Distributions, , Hypothesis Testing, , Chi Squared Tests, Probability Generating Functions, Quality of Tests, Algorithms and Graph Theory, and Algorithms on Graphs.

Students will be provided with clear feedback after each unit to provide detailed analysis of their strengths and areas for development. Students will sit trial examinations which again provided detailed analysis of their strengths and areas for development allowing a clear programme of revision to be tailored to their needs.

Year 13 Curriculum

In A-level Mathematics, the students will study: Further Algebra, Further Calculus, Further Trigonometry, Binomial Expansion, Further Kinematics, Further Probability, Statistics and Hypothesis Testing and Moments.

In A Level Further Mathematics the students will study: Further Vectors, Polar Coordinates, Hyperbolic Functions, Differential Equations, Central Limit Theorem, Geometric and Negative Binomial Distributions, Critical Path Analysis and Linear Programming.

Extra-curricular Activities

KS3/KS4 Drop-in (Wednesday lunchtimes in MA1) – students can complete homework or extra study with a Maths teacher on-hand to help where necessary!

KS5 Drop-in (Friday after school in SF10, 3.15-4.15pm) - students can receive extra help with independent study during this time.

N CHARNELL, Subject Leader for Mathematics