Maths

Intent

In Mathematics we reject the idea that a large proportion of people ‘just can’t do maths’. All pupils are encouraged by the belief that by working hard at mathematics they can succeed and that making mistakes is to be seen not as a failure but as a valuable opportunity for learning.

We aim to develop pupils’ resilience and mental discipline through the use of reasoning and logical thought. This adds to pupils’ wellbeing and ability to be constructive and efficient in their lives beyond school.

Content

All pupils cover the Mathematics National Curriculum and Key Stage 4 pupils work towards a both a GCSE and Functional Skills qualification provided by AQA.

Implementation

Procedural fluency and conceptual understanding are developed in tandem as each supports the other. Once pupils demonstrate fluency in a given mathematical concept they are progressed to using reasoning in applying this concept. Challenge and the opportunity to deepen understanding of key mathematical ideas is provided for all. Differentiation is achieved through paying attention to the levels of support and challenge needed to allow every pupil to fully grasp concepts and ideas. Acceleration onto new content is avoided. Instead, these pupils are challenged by deeper analysis of lesson content and by applying the content in new and unfamiliar problem-solving situations. Only on rare occasions where a there is a significant need for curriculum intervention will a pupil be working on different content to the rest of the class.

Assessment

Pupils complete a diagnostic baseline assessment when they join the Academy, and again at the start of Key Stage 4 if they remain with us after Key Stage 3.

All pupils are continually assessed on their grasp of content covered and targets are set each lesson to support or extend their understanding. Formative assessments involving pupils’ self-assessment and feedback take place at the end of larger units of work.

Key Stage 4 pupils complete termly interim assessments which generate a GCSE grade in order to track their progress. Their performance on these assessments is analysed and used to inform intervention to take place in preparation for their GCSE exam.

Pupils complete a summative assessment at the end of the academic year; for Key Stage 4 pupils this is their GCSE exam.

Key Stage 4 pupils also sit Functional Skills exams throughout the year.

Impact

AQA is the exam board of choice as it is generally regarded as the most accessible paper for those with lower literacy skills, and AQA have provided more robust resources and specimen papers during the recent curriculum changes. These opinions have been widely recognised by colleagues in EIP Maths network meetings. Onscreen Functional Skills, provided by Edexcel, has been used in the past and may be used again due to the flexibility of setting exam dates. However, there have been administration and technical difficulties running the exams in the past, and pupils’ success rate and marks achieved have been poor when compared to the AQA paper based exam.

The delivery and teaching of Mathematics is evaluated through internal observation.

Cross-curricular links

Career links

• Civil Service fast streamer
• Financial manager
• Financial trader
• Insurance underwriter
• Meteorologist
• Operational researcher
• Quantity surveyor
• Software tester
• Acoustic consultant
• Actuarial analyst
• Actuary
• Chartered accountant
• Data analyst
• Data scientist
• Investment analyst
• Research scientist
• Secondary school teacher
• Software engineer
• Statistician

Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9)

During KS3, students build on their knowledge and skills acquired during Key Stage 2 and any time spent studying in KS3 at their mainstream school. Students will cover content from across the curriculum each year and will develop knowledge and skills as well as practice applying what they have learnt in a variety of contexts. Students will be given tasks to help access higher order thinking skills where possible.

Those students who remain with us for a number of years will have more opportunity to carry out richer tasks involving a wider variety of contexts. These will place a higher demand on prior knowledge and build awareness of links between different of areas of Mathematics in order to combine content when solving single problems. This will help students develop their fluency and conceptual understanding in preparation for KS4.

Students will be assessed at the end of each half-term in order to identify areas of weakness and review content covered. Intervention will take place where necessary. Students will also complete two interim assessments during the course of each year in order to monitor their attainment and identify areas for development. Finally, students will sit an end of year assessment which will generate a summative grade from which targets can be set for the following academic year.

Where appropriate, some students will have the opportunity to sit Functional Maths exams in order to gain a Mathematics qualification at the earliest convenience.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

During KS4, students will continue to work towards an appropriate level of mathematical fluency and conceptual understanding by reviewing areas of the curriculum, applying their knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts and building confidence to use a number of mathematical concepts to solve problems.

Where key mathematical knowledge and skills are lacking, students will be introduced to the relevant curriculum content. Students who achieve an appropriate level of fluency and understanding will be introduced to Additional Foundation and/or Higher curriculum content in order to access higher grades.

Similarly to KS3, students will be assessed at the end of each half-term in order to identify areas of weakness and review content covered with intervention taking place where necessary. Students will also complete three interim mock assessments during the course of each year in order to monitor their attainment and progress, whilst identifying areas for development. These mock papers will be analysed in great detail in order to feedback to students the areas they need to work on in preparation for their GCSE exam. This will also help students gain an awareness of the various areas of the curriculum in relation to the exam, including the various contexts in which content can appear.

Students will sit their GCSE exam at the end of both Year 10 and Year 11. This will consist of three papers; two with and one without a calculator. Those Year 10 students who remain at DPA will have an opportunity to improve their grade in Year 11 either by further developing their fluency and understanding or by accessing further curriculum content if appropriate.

Throughout both Year 10 and Year 11, students will have the opportunity to sit Functional Maths exams at both Level 1 and Level 2 in order to gain Mathematics qualifications at the earliest convenience. Time is built into the curriculum to prepare for such exams and intervention will take place to get students the support they need in order to achieve Level 1.