Mathematics

Years 7 and 8

In years 7 and 8, students are taught the curriculum across 8 lessons per fortnight. 

The scheme of work and deliberate practice within lessons is carefully designed to develop and consolidate students’ conceptual understanding in the following key areas: 

• Number
• Algebra
• Ratio and Proportion 
• Geometry
• Statistics 

Students are  encouraged to develop their reasoning and mathematical thinking through “Tough, Tougher and Toughest” activities.  

How students are assessed

Topic list for Year 7 & 8

Students will be assessed in 3 ways:

1. Homework

Sparx homework tasks will cover topics covered taught in the previous term e.g. in T1.2 the homework topics will revisit teaching from T1.1. This allows students and teachers to identify any gaps in learning or struggles with recall so that gaps can be closed swiftly.

2. Tri-weekly tests

These are low stake, 10 question tests, assessing current learning. Again, this helps us identify gaps in learning and allows those gaps to be closed swiftly.

3. Key assessments

Unseen assessments, set by the department, to assess learning over a more significant period. Reports to parents would follow on from these assessments via the school reporting system.

We also encourage students to self and peer assess their work through marking in lessons, preparation for assessments through revision (doing and marking work) and collaboration in lessons.

Homework

Each student will be set 30 minutes of Mathematics homework per week in year 7 and 8. This work will be set on Sparx with students following the planned scheme of work. For each homework, every question has an associated video to aid recall (if needed) before questions are answered. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that homework is complete before the deadline. If there are any problems with accessing Sparx please email your Maths class teacher. 

Please be aware that Sparx is an adaptive learning platform. In other words, it sets questions for students at a level a student performs at. As such, students should complete the homework independently. If they receive help to complete homework, this will increase the difficulty of the work set in the next task.

How parents can help

• Checking that homework is completed on time and to a satisfactory standard.
• Encouraging students to revise regularly throughout the school term by reviewing work in their exercise book. 
• Ensuring students have the correct equipment i.e. pens, pencil, ruler, scientific calculator, Mathematical Geometry set. 
• Ensuring students have a quiet place to study away from distractions.

Exam Board and Details

Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Mathematics (1MA1)

Link to course specification

Link to Personal Learning Checklists

Course Outline

GCSE Mathematics facilitates students to develop a level of confidence and numerical fluency that supports them for the rest of their lives. There is a strong emphasis on problem solving and the application of Mathematics. To be successful, students must demonstrate that they can select and use appropriate mathematical methods in a range of situations. There is a great emphasis on mathematical reasoning throughout the course. Having a strong foundation in Mathematics assists further academic study in, for example, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Psychology etc.; in vocational study such as apprenticeships as well as in employment.

Mathematics is a Core subject and as such is compulsory at Key Stage 4.

The course content includes topics on:

• Number
• Algebra
• Ratio, proportion and rates of change
• Geometry and measures
• Probability
• Statistics

The course specification and personalised learning checklists outline the course content that is covered

Key skills students will develop

In order to be successful, students will have to demonstrate that they can select and use the appropriate mathematical methods needed in a range of situations.  Passing GCSE Maths is a pre-requisite for most higher education courses and professional careers.  Students will need to work hard consistently throughout the course to achieve their full potential.

The aims and objectives of the GCSE Mathematics course are to enable students to:

• Develop fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts
• Acquire, select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems
• Reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions
• Comprehend, interpret and communicate mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context.

How students are assessed

Exam (1.5 hrs)	Mixed content (non-calculator)	33.3% of the qualification
Exam  (1.5 hrs)	Mixed content (calculator)	33.3% of the qualification
Exam  (1.5 hrs)	Mixed content (calculator)	33.3% of the qualification

The tiers of entry for the final public examination are either Foundation (grades 1 to 5) or Higher (grades 5 to 9). Students are placed in the tier most appropriate to their ability based on their performance in Key Assessments; this is reviewed throughout the course. 

All Students are expected to have a scientific calculator, preferably a Casio calculator FX-83GTCW, for use in lessons and in examinations. 

Homework is set twice per week and should take approximately 1 hour for each task. The aim of homework at GCSE is to consolidate the learning in lessons and progress further through extension tasks.

How Parents Can Help

• Encourage students to practice, practice, practice. Even if they say they can do a task, insist they show you to prove they can!
• Encourage students to set out their work as they have been shown. The structure will help them to solve the problem successfully.
• Practice questions at home which challenge students' problem solving skills as well as the 
• Straightforward maths techniques, especially exam questions which can be accessed through past papers which will be shared via Showbie in the GCSE Maths Revision Area
• Always check over work when it is completed. It is really easy to lose marks at the beginning of a paper. Carefully reviewing homework tasks with students will help to establish this habit.
• Owning a calculator is not sufficient; students need to know how to use it. This only comes through familiarity which is why we insist they use a calculator for classwork and not an iPad version. Students should bring their calculator to every lesson.
• Encourage students to show how they reached their solution. Usually there is only one mark for the final answer; the rest are for the working out.