Mr T Lamb - Head of Faculty for Maths
Intent
To equip our pupils with the ability and confidence to handle mathematics in the real world. To build and develop resilience and problem solving: key transferable skills that help in all aspects of life.
Introduction to Faculty
The Mathematics Faculty comprises of 7 teachers, and are housed in the A Block. We aim to teach students that while mathematics is undeniably an essential tool for young people leaving school, it can also be enjoyed for its own sake. We encourage problem solving, creativity and independent thought, as well as team work and sharing ideas.
The national curriculum is made up of a number of subjects, each of which is split into separate topics.
Extracurricular Opportunities
The Devizes Mathematics departments offers keen and talented mathematicians the opportunity to pit themselves against students at other schools, both locally and nationally within competitions organised by the UK Mathematics Trust*. Within individual and team competitions, students are given the chance to explore some more challenging areas of maths, and solve puzzles in a competitive but supportive environment.
For year 11 pupils there are targeted after school sessions and morning prep sessions, to help learners maximise their potential in the GCSE exams.
For sixth form mathematicians, there is also the regular after school clinic, where students can bring homework problems to share with teachers or other students. We also encourage students of all year groups to seek support from their maths teachers during lunchtimes and after school.
*The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics.
All students are set according to their ability, and these settings are reviewed regularly.
Support
As well as the individual support provided by teachers, students also have access to online resources on our VLE and a variety of websites such as Drfrostmaths.com. All students have a username and password that allows them to access online tutorials and attempt practise questions on any areas of the curriculum they need extra support or practise. Students are strongly encouraged to use this outside of lessons to support their learning. Should they require any extra support in how to get the most from these resources, they should speak to their maths teacher.
Key Stage 3
Year 7, 8 and 9 have 5 lessons a week
Each class follows the White Horse Federation scheme of work and students are given regular, cross-federation assessments which test their ability to apply the skills they have learnt, as well as testing their deeper understanding to gauge the level to which they have mastered topics. Feedback and question level analysis is provided following assessments to allow students to independently work on their areas of weakness.
Key Stage 4
All students have 5 lessons a week
Students follow the OCR GCSE syllabus, and will be assessed at the end of the course through three 1 ½ hour exams, of which two require the use of a calculator.
They will sit their GCSE exams at either Higher level (grades 4-9) or foundation level (grades 1-5).
Details of the content taught within the maths GCSE can be found by clicking the button below.