Maths

Curriculum Intent

In Mathematics our intent is to enable all of our students to access the content and make progress through the curriculum. The Mathematics Department aspires to deliver a varied and stimulating curriculum that enables our learners to engage in all areas of Mathematics. Our curriculum is developed into 3 main pathways that give our learners the opportunity to make progress and consolidate knowledge that links to independence and life skills, with the opportunity to transfer between them as required. Learners are regularly assessed both formally and informally to ensure their needs are being met and they are developing their skill base and transferable knowledge.

Curriculum Implementation

We promote Mathematics for independence, confidence and life skills, as well as academic lessons and activities. We provide an array of opportunities for our learners to access mathematics on a practical level as well as written and formal methods. We ensure our curriculum includes exposure to different strategies to problem solve and find solutions to real life experiences for example, understanding and using money effectively, telling the time,  measuring and estimating. The use of formal Rising Stars Assessments enables us to ensure that our learners are on the correct pathway and making optimum progress. Work is differentiated accordingly following the pathway but also within individual lessons to meet learner needs. To monitor progress we use a variety of methods, such as, Classroom Monitor, Solo Taxonomy, Scaffolding and mental maths assessments

Curriculum Impact

Mathematics is linked closely with all aspects of independence and promotes problem solving, cognitive skills, cross-curricular links and develops confidence. Learners social skills are greatly enhanced by the opportunities to share, take turns, collaborate and improve communication skills. Mathematics gives learners the skills to apply their knowledge and understanding to support them in life outside of the school environment.  

Social Moral Spiritual and Cultural

In Maths lessons pupils are encouraged to delve deeply into their understanding of Mathematics and how it relates to the world around them. Our Maths teaching actively encourages risk taking which enables pupils to explore and try new ideas without the fear of failure. This is fundamental to building pupils’ self-esteem within Mathematics. We aim for our students to use their own Maths to explore and question the way the world works and also to apply their reasoning to puzzles for their personal satisfaction.

Spiritual

• Developing deep thinking and questioning the way in which the world works promotes the spiritual growth of our students.

• We are sensitive to students’ individual needs, backgrounds and experience.

• We aim to give all students an appreciation of the richness and power of maths.

• Maths in Nature is embedded in Sequences, Patterns and Symmetry

Iin Key Stage 3

• We promote a sense of wonder in the exactness of mathematics in the exploration of infinity, pie, topology, complex numbers and real-world examples.

• We encourage the students to appreciate the enormity of the world of Mathematics as it has developed through time.

Moral

• Within the classroom, we encourage respect and reward good behaviour. We value listening to others views and opinions on problem solving.

• We promote discussion about mathematical understanding and challenge assumptions, supporting students to question information and data that they are presented with.

• We show the students that we are on a quest for truth by rigorous and logical argument whilst discouraging jumping to conclusions.

• It is acceptable to make mistakes as long as the correct methodology to obtain the otherwise correct answers is then learned and remembered.

Social

• In classrooms, we look for opportunities for pupils to use mini-whiteboards to promote selfesteem and build self-confidence.

• We encourage collaborative learning in the classroom – in the form of listening and learning from each other as well as paired discussion / working partners.

• We help pupils develop their mathematical voice and powers of logic, reasoning and explanation by offering explanations to each other.

• We seek out events and team maths challenges for increased pupil involvement.

• We exhibit pupils work in maths classrooms - to share their good practice and celebrate achievement through creating informative displays.

Cultural

• We share the appreciation with the pupils that mathematics, its language and symbols have developed from many different cultures around the world: e.g. Egyptian, Indian, Islamic, Greek and Russian roots.

• We look to make explicit reference to Mathematicians contribution to progression of the subject as we teach topics throughout our Schemes of Work.

We investigate and research cross cultural patterns – tessellation, islamic tiling.

We demonstrate and encourage diverse techniques e.g. for multiplication that have derived from different ancient civilisations. – Russian / Chinese multiplication,

Careers Education Information and Guidance

Occupations Using Maths Although you will see very few jobs titled Mathematician, your subject has a wide application across the working world. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the only options open to you are either finance sector jobs or teaching.  However you could also find employment across a broad range of sectors including engineering, information technology, oil industry, biotechnology and the civil service. Any industry that uses modelling, simulation, cryptography, forecasting, statistics, risk analysis and probability will value your subject knowledge and skills. In business employers look for excellent analytical and problem solving skills for such diverse areas as logistics, market research, operational research, business analysis and management consultancy.  Here are some ideas to help you think about what you might want to do: Finance: Banking, accountancy, actuarial, tax, underwriter, pensions, insurance Medicine: Medical statistics, medical and epidemiological research, pharmaceutical research Design: Engineering design, computer games Science: Biotechnology, Meteorology, oceanography, pure and applied research and development Civil Service: Scientists (Fast Stream, DSTL, DESG), GCHQ, Security Service, Statisticians Business: Logistics, financial analysis, marketing, market research, sales oil industry, management consultancy, operational research IT: Systems analysis, Research Engineering: Aerospace, building design, transport planning, telecommunications, surveying

Documents:

Key Stage 3 is split into 5 stages. Pupils are assessed and put into the correct stage then progress through the stage and move onto the next.  Often pupils will work across 2 stages where they make more progress in different areas of Mathematics