Intent:

We intend to spark an interest in Mathematics by showing how it is used in everyday life and how it can be appreciated in creation and the environment around us. Through making it understandable and accessible, each student can develop an appreciation for the universal language of Mathematics, which is unchanging, consistent, and reliable. This appreciation is not only intended for those who flourish at Maths, but also something that all can enjoy no matter what level they are at. We achieve this through a variety of mediums such as interactive white boards, YouTube, online Maths platforms such as Mathsbox and MathsPad, Maths games such as Maths Bingo and Kahoot, but mostly through practice and modelling. The key intent is for the students to grasp the basic concepts, creating self confidence in their ability, before moving them onto the tougher concepts, which is why the foundation years are so important.

Transferrable skills:

Mathematics is a skill that is needed in all aspects of life. At school we use it mostly in Science with the use of formulae, in Business Studies by means of Percentages and Linear Programming for profit and loss on inventory, Bar and Pie Charts, and other such displays of Data Handling. Ratios and Proportions are used in recipes, where the ingredients must be adjusted for smaller or larger quantities. Shapes and Transformations can be used in Art. A classic example is the use of Phi, the Golden Ratio, which is found in the architecture of the Ancient Greek building of the Parthenon as well as famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa. Phi is also found in Biology; in the spirals of the cross sections of snail shells and Sequences are seen in the repeated patterns of a swirling Sea Horse’s tail and the internal swirls of flora such as is seen in a sunflower.

Assessment  weighting

All units are assessed at the end of every half term using a weighting of homework 20%, classwork 20% and tests 60%.

Assessment:

There are three formal assessment methods: classwork, homework, and end of topic tests. There are also more informal methods such as Bingo, short topic quizzes at the beginning, middle or end of a lesson either via online quizzes or interactively within class. The key aim is to identify the students’ methods and skills and strengthen them by giving positive criticism and feedback. Practice is paramount for forming the cognitive pathways, which we build on each year via repetition, aiming to equip the students with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of Maths. Thus, setting them up and preparing them for the more complex topics of GCSE. Other very constructive forms of assessment are peer and self-assessments. These enhance the students’ ability to help their fellow students strengthen their techniques, but also strengthen their own by being able to identify and correct the mistakes their peers make. This is reflective by means of WWW (what went well) and EBI (even better if) to move their learning on.