Functional Maths Maths Genie
Maria Mauri
Lots of you will now be busy revising for GCSE maths. Undoubtedly the best way to revise for maths is to do lots of practice questions, checking them straight away to make sure they are right. One site is invaluable in this and that is Maths Genie. Here you will find all the topics in the syllabus split into Grades, with solutions so you can check that you got them right. You can concentrate on the topics you know you need to improve on to get the grade you are working towards.
We aim to improve the confidence and mathematical knowledge for every student who attends The Limes College by identifying and working to fill in the specific gaps they have, as well as motivating each individual to work hard in lessons and complete homework to achieve their full potential. Schemes of Works are working documents that are constantly changing to allow new ideas and methods to improve their learning experience as well as supporting each individual to obtain their true potential.
We aim to prepare students for life by giving them the ability to problem solve, practice real life mathematical skills, improve on sitting exams as well as increasing resilience and independence .In addition to this, Key Stage 3 will be able to return with more confidence to mainstream school and by the end of Key Stage 4 students will have the opportunity to obtain various qualifications including: Functional Skills Mathematics, iGCSE Mathematics and GCSE Mathematics.
For the majority of the time, students will have adapted individualised work with each student being able to work at a level that consolidates their knowledge as well as setting challenges for them to improve their mathematical understanding, confidence and attainment level. Students are taught at their own pace and will learn the skills, fluency, applications, reasoning and problem solving for each topic. They will also have opportunities to experience the practical side of mathematics which can range from shopping, to cooking, to measuring rooms.
The department delivers vocabulary intervention to the whole school to help students with understanding and knowledge of mathematical terminology. Students also have the opportunity to interlink cross curriculum when preparing and running cake sales for charities such as Macmillan as well as celebration events such as Diwali.
All topics are taught using various resources including: textbooks, worksheets, workbooks, Google Classroom, Mymaths, Maths Genie, On Maths, past paper questions and practical activities to allow each student the opportunity to learn using the method they find most comfortable and beneficial.
The maths department also provide twilight sessions for students sitting exams as well as catch up sessions for students who need extra support. There is also the opportunity for students to attend before school where they have the opportunity to consolidate their maths.
Students will increase their confidence in mathematics and gain a much broader knowledge across all mathematical topics. They will be able to use the skills and knowledge gained in other subjects, further education, and work as well as real life situations both now and in the future.
Key Stage 3 students will be better prepared for a return to mainstream school with greater subject knowledge. They will also have the opportunity to gain some qualifications by sitting Entry Level Functional Skills.
Key Stage 4 students will progress in qualifications according to each students ability and as their confidence and knowledge increases they will have the opportunity to achieve Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills, iGCSE and GCSE which will enable them to move on to their preferred destination after Year 11.
Some cookies are necessary in order to make this website function correctly. These are set by default and whilst you can block or delete them by changing your browser settings, some functionality such as being able to log in to the website will not work if you do this. The necessary cookies set on this website are as follows:
With #EdexcelMaths trending nationally and news stations across the UK interviewing students highlight what students deemed to be a particularly 'nasty' higher paper 1. Colin Hegarty and I have decided to do a joint post on ways to help motivate your students and get them back in the zone.
The worst thing students can possibly do after an exam is go in search of the answers. This can soon cause many to stress and panic if they realise they have done a question wrong. It is not worth taking this risk. However the damage is already done. We need to remember these are 16 year old students under a surreal amount of pressure and as much as the twitter jokes from the likes of Tesco may amuse people it is also compounding an already bad situation for some of our students.
Colin has created a great video which can be found on his YouTube channel and is embedded here. I feel we should be attempting to tweet out this video on both department and maths accounts. The aim is to remotivate the students and move forward.
We have combined resources and compiled links to the best guess papers we know of by @CorbettMaths and another by @MathsGenie. Also the amazing @MathedUp has created an interactive predicted topic list to videos, questions and solutions. Remember don't do anything if you aren't going to mark it. Also predictions are exactly that, we don't know what is going to come up on the exam. However, using professional judgement these have been created to try support students.
Students arriving at Newhaven often bring with them high levels of anxiety associated with learning in general and maths in particular. Many of our students have diagnosed additional needs including: autism spectrum condition; ADHD (in various forms); dyslexia and generalised anxiety disorder. In recognition of this, members of staff regularly undertake specialist training in how to teach students with additional needs and share best practice on a weekly basis.
Training on its own does not make up for the care we have for our students. Our success as a department relies strongly on the relationships we build with students and the trust they eventually place in us.
We aim for every student to leave Newhaven with a nationally recognised qualification in the subject no matter what their starting point. We deliver the Edexcel GCSE curriculum at Higher and Foundation levels. We also offer Functional Skills qualifications to all students which means that students have the opportunity to gain more than one maths qualification.
We provide a wide range of enrichment activities for our students which enables them to see mathematics as both useful and empowering. This includes visits around our local community and further afield; practical activities and lessons involving real-world uses for mathematics.
We draw on expertise from other departments and work with other colleagues throughout the year to design exciting and engaging cross-curricular extended projects for our pupils. These projects are designed to encourage critical thinking for all and engage pupils who have had limited exposure to practical, hand-on learning.
Based on that assessment we work together with the SENCo and other members of staff to implement any changes or adjustments as soon as possible. These may include regular movement breaks; additional support in the classroom or outside of the classroom.
At Newhaven School we offer students who have not yet achieved a GCSE Grade 9-4 in maths, the opportunity to join our 6th Form where we are fortunate to have small class sizes and can provide above average intervention and support to our students.
We aim to enable pupils to enjoy and achieve in maths. In Years 7 - 11 our pupils are following a 5 year scheme, building on their KS2 knowledge and progressing through to the end of KS4, helping them to become competent mathematicians, able to apply their knowledge in a range of situations. We have a large focus on problem solving and reasoning, encouraging pupils to gain depth and breadth of understanding. We believe maths is for everyone and that everyone can succeed.
Pupils work through units in a carefully sequenced order, building on their prior knowledge. At the end of each unit they complete an open book quiz to inform their next steps. Termly assessments throughout the year will also help us to assess their understanding and progress.
A brief knowledge organiser page about the key terminology and learning for each teaching unit can be found below; pupils will be guided towards these to assist with homework and revision. A variety of different homework tasks will be set, involving a mixture of:
The majority of maths homework will be set on MathsWatch or MathsPad which pupils will be assigned logins for annually. These platforms all give pupils immediate feedback on their work, allowing them to revisit their learning with a video or set of instructional slides should they find a topic difficult.
At GCSE we work towards the Edexcel GCSE qualification. The GCSE course incorporates all aspects of mathematics: number, algebra, ratio, proportion and rates of change, geometry and measures, probability and statistics. It focuses on applying mathematics in context, problem solving, reasoning and the functional elements of mathematics, concentrating on the knowledge and applications that are most accessible and relevant. The course is linear, with three exams at the end of Year 11 (1 non-calculator paper and 2 calculator papers). Pupils will sit either the foundation or higher tier.
The latest funding update released from the Department of Education has confirmed that schools and colleges will be able to receive 900 in funding for each student studying core maths in their first year of study. Visit the Department of Education's website to find out more about the 'core maths premium'.
Mathematics in Context (Core Maths) is designed to make maths relevant for learners. We use real-life extracts and data, making sure that learners are confident tackling the maths they need for their next step in life.
The qualification is designed for students who achieve at least a grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics, but who choose not to continue with AS or A level Mathematics.