Mathematics

Intent

At Oldershaw, we aim to give all our students the opportunity to learn and enjoy mathematics in a safe, pleasant and stimulating environment. By providing a well-planned and structured curriculum, students are able to engage in lessons where interactive whole class teaching, problem solving, and rich tasks challenge the full range of ages and abilities. All learners at the school have the opportunity to develop skills in Numeracy, Algebra, Shape and Space and Data Handling as well as the use and application of mathematics and consequently we meet all the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum is also ambitious and allows for recall and revision of topics on numerous occasions throughout each school year.

The Mathematics Department aims to:

Provide all students with a deep and broad understanding of the application of mathematics in everyday life through developing tasks which are relatable for our pupils and the community in which we teach.

Ensure that all pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time.

Develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately through teaching that makes use of concrete, abstract and pictorial mediums.

Provide an ambitious curriculum with stretch and challenge for all pupils with appropriate support and guidance, particularly for disadvantaged learners, to achieve a pathway to success.

Build students’ competency in applying mathematical reasoning through enquiry, conjecture and generalisation to develop argument, justification or proof.

Frequently review and evaluate the progress of our learners through formative and summative assessments of learnt skills, with structured and tailored intervention for students as required.

Ensure that tutor provision and support is available to students which have been identified as falling below the expected level of attainment due to the pandemic.

Keep children safe by reducing anxiety in the subject whilst ensuring that they develop an understanding of the place that mathematics has in managing finances effectively and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Ensure that pupils receive a broad curriculum when learning remotely and identify areas of weakness which have occurred as a result of the pandemic.

Implementation

The Year 7 journey begins with a range of topics, including Angles, Constructing Triangle & Quadrilaterals and Working with Fractions. In the Spring term we explore different areas of Mathematics such as Axiom & Arrays, Place Value and Negative Numbers, before ending the year with essential topics such as Ratio and Transformations.

The Year 8 journey begins with a range of topics, including Direct & Inverse Proportion, Univariate/Bivariate Data and Substitution. In the Spring term we explore different areas of Mathematics such as Sequences, Linear Graphs and Calculating with Negatives, before ending the year with essential topics such as Angles & Polygons and Percentages.

The Year 9 journey begins with a range of topics, including Polygons, Arcs & Sectors and Pythagoras’ Theorem. In the Spring term we explore different areas of Mathematics such as Ratio, Direct & Inverse Proportion and Rearranging Formula, before ending the year with essential topics such as Cumulative Frequency Graphs and Venn Diagrams.

Full Course Details available via OCR website HERE

The Year 10 journey begins with a range of topics, including Prime Factorisation, Simultaneous Equations and Quadratic Sequences. In the Spring term we explore different areas of Mathematics such as Trigonometry, Congruency and Inequality Regions, before ending the year with essential topics such as Boxplots and Graphical Transformations.

The Year 11 journey begins with a range of topics, including Volume of 3D Shapes, Velocity Time Graphs and FDP. In the Spring term we explore different areas of Mathematics such as Expansion, Iteration and Inequality Regions, before ending the year by recalling and revisiting material from the GCSE course, in preparation for the GCSE examinations.

Full Course Details available via AQA website HERE

The year 12 journey begins with students studying two Key areas of AS mathematics. Mechanics includes kinematics, forces, equilibrium, vectors and velocity-time graphs. The statistics component includes measures of central tendency, dispersion, probability, binomial distributions, hypothesis testing and sampling. These important components of the course are delivered in parallel by two specialist teachers. By the end of the first term students will apply their newly learnt skills towards the successful completion of the section B questions on all of the AS examination past papers.

We then move on to Core mathematics. In the Spring term students cover a number of fundamental Advanced Level topics including coordinate geometry, logarithms, differentiation, integration, quadratics, inequalities, indices, and surds. Revision and recall is essential at advanced level and students are set weekly homework which tests previously learnt material as well as the current topic. Past paper questions are provided regularly and ensure that students are fully prepared for the examination in the Summer term.

We end the year by recalling and revisiting material from the AS Level course, in preparation for the external examinations in May. Once completed, students use the last 5 weeks of the summer term to study Advanced Level calculus in depth including the chain rule, product rule and quotient rule.

The year 13 journey begins with students studying two Key areas of Advanced Level mathematics. Mechanics includes topics introduced in year 12 but studied in greater depth. The topic on Forces now includes the addition of friction and solving problems on slopes. Moments and projectiles are also introduced. The statistics component includes conditional probability, normal distributions and correlation in addition to further revision of work covered in year 12. As in year 12, these components of the course continue to be delivered in parallel by two specialist teachers. By the end of the first term students will apply their newly learnt skills towards the successful completion of the section B questions on all of the Advanced Level examination past papers.

We then move on to Core mathematics. In the Spring term students cover a number of fundamental Advanced Level topics including sequences, trigonometry, partial fractions functions, solving differential equations, parametrics, arcs and sectors, and proof. As in year 12, revision and recall is essential and students are set weekly homework which tests previously learnt material as well as the current topic. Past paper questions are provided regularly and ensure that students are fully prepared for the examination in the Summer term.

We end the year by recalling and revisiting material from the Advanced Level course, in preparation for the external examinations in May. Students work through a range of past paper questions and develop strong problem solving skills.

Cultural Capital & Enrichment

Our aim is to incorporate cultural capital into lessons in all year groups. We aim to prepare students for the real world by ensuring that they develop the skills required to apply mathematics in everyday life. Students leave Oldershaw with the ability to feel confident with the following:

Financial management including everyday banking
Time and timetables
Number skills in nutrition and health
The ability to construct and present logical arguments
To be able to evaluate and understand statistics in the media
Possessing an understanding of risk
Knowing the importance of modelling to reach valid solutions
Understanding weights and measures
Understanding the cross-curricular importance of mathematics e.g., foreign currency conversion
Understand good value as a consumer

At the end of every term, pupils complete a project linked to the time of year which provides a real-life application of Maths to situations they will encounter in adult life. Mathematical content is linked to careers by identifying how particular skills relate to daily life and ensuring that students understand the place that numeracy has in industry.

We facilitate a range of educational visits and experiences including:

UK Maths Challenge
PiXL Strive for Five Conference
STEM Day at University of Liverpool
Alton Towers Educational Experience Day

Progression Routes

Pupils begin their studies at Key Stage 3 and are equipped with a range of mathematics skills which will allow them to progress onto Key Stage 4 for the final two years of their study.

At the end of Key Stage 4 pupils are equipped with the skills to:

Embark on Key Stage 5 level of study
Complete Apprenticeships
Jobs in a range of sectors

Some pupils may choose to complete further study opting to study Mathematics at Key Stage 5. These pupils are then prepared to go onto:

University Study in a range of subjects including STEM
Complete Apprenticeships
Jobs in a range of sectors