Maths
"Maths is everywhere"
At Ramsey Academy, we believe mathematics has a wide range of everyday applications and is important to further study post 16 and ultimately to many of the career paths which our students may choose to follow. Put simply, we believe that everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics, regardless of their background!
Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
(DfE, 2021)
Studying mathematics helps students connect with the modern world and develops resilience, confidence and independence of thought which will increase the life choices that are available to them once they leave school.
We follow a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum, which enables our students to achieve excellence by becoming fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, and encourage mastery over mathematical concepts through well sequenced varied and frequent practice. Students develop a solid conceptual understanding of the maths that’s been taught before they move onto more complex or advanced material.
Work in KS3 builds up this core foundation knowledge by giving students access to a toolbox of techniques so that when students transition to KS4, they can apply this knowledge to a host of unfamiliar reasoning-based scenarios and more complex problem solving work: they are able to work out the ‘what do I do’ because they understand the ‘why’ and can recall quickly the ‘how’.
Our progressive mathematics curriculum will give students the opportunity to:
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
- Increase their self-confidence, self-efficacy and self-esteem which will result in them being able to contribute positively to the life within our school community, their own local home community and the wider environment.
- Be on track to achieve or exceed their projected grades
We believe our students can really understand mathematics if they can:
- Describe concepts, ideas and techniques in their own words, by breaking down problems into a series of smaller steps
- Represent it in a variety of concrete or pictorial ways
- Explain it clearly to someone who does not have prior knowledge
- Make up their own examples (and non-examples)
- Communicate clearly and precisely, and justify, argue and prove concepts using correct mathematical vocabulary
Our curriculum is adapted for children with SEND needs through physical adaptions such as large print or use of coloured paper; access adaptions such as increased exam time to allow for those who may need additional processing time; and the breakdown of topics to help cognition and understanding.
Assessments are teacher marked, and the results used to identify misconceptions and gaps in knowledge so that future lessons can be adapted accordingly.
KS3
In Yr7 our curriculum builds upon KS2 progress, and by the end of the year, students have a good understanding of key areas such as place value, fractions, directed number and introduction to geometry basics including angles and constructions. Oracy is supported through choral response of mathematical language. We have a consistent pedagogical approach throughout KS3 and use strategies such as number lines, bar models and multiplication tables to ensure consistency of teaching across all classrooms and to help when progressing onto more complex areas later.
In Yr8, our curriculum builds upon prior learning through developing algebraic skills, and developing fluency on number proportional reasoning, ratio and standard form. The key concepts within geometry relating to polygons and angles are explored given a solid foundation for Yr9.
In Yr9, students develop their fluency and problem-solving skills in topics including sequences, graphs and inequalities, together with more in-depth work in Geometry (covering area, congruence, similarity and right-angled triangles). Pedagogical approaches include the use of consistent strategies (such as ratio tables) across a range of topics, to help students’ cognitive load when new areas are being introduced.
KS4
During Yr10 and Yr11, students follow a scheme of work that aligns with the Edexcel examination board’s GCSE syllabus. This builds on the mathematics studied at Key Stage 3, and is organised under the same headings: Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of change, Geometry, Probability, and Statistics. The scheme of work differs according to individual class requirements (Foundation or Higher Tier) and is adapted to allow for subject knowledge gaps of each individual cohort.
In Y11, students sit three papers, each contributing to 33.3% of the overall grade. The first paper is a non-calculator paper, and the remaining two papers are calculator papers. Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes, and the examined elements consist of Number, Algebra, Ratio, Proportion and Rates of change, Geometry, Probability, and Statistics.
All students need a scientific calculator as it is an examination requirement.
Staff
Ms Hemmings, Head of Maths
Mrs Eagland, Deputy Curriculum Lead and Head of Year 8
Mrs Opoku
Mr Pathak
Mr Subramaniam
Mr Williams, Trust Director of Maths
