Mathematics

On our journey you can expect to gain a rational understanding of how to approach and solve mathematical problems that you will commonly face after life in school. You will develop a resilient mind-set through stretching and challenging yourself irrespective of your starting point to make good and outstanding progress. We will celebrate diversity through the history of mathematics in a text rich environment and ensure you, and all your friends have equitable opportunities of success.

We believe that students deserve a creative and ambitious mathematics curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge, which ignites curiosity and prepares them well for everyday life and future employment. Our mathematics curriculum will give students the opportunity to:

  • become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
  • reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
  • can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and preserving in seeking solutions.
  • can communicate, justify, argue and prove using mathematical vocabulary.
  • develop their character, including resilience, confidence and independence, so that they contribute positively to the life of the school, their local community and the wider environment.

In Key Stage 3 (7-9) students complete 4 hours of maths learning and they are set according to their attainment levels. Our curriculum is based on the White Rose Maths schemes of learning with a mastery approach. Developing a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

 Assessments are completed at the end of every topic to track and monitor the progress of students. Students receive feedback that highlights areas of strength and areas for improvement and support is provided through a feedback lesson that addresses misconceptions. Students also complete termly cumulative assessments that reviews knowledge retainment.

Students in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) Mathematics are working towards one GCSE qualification. They follow the Edexcel exam board with specification code 1MA1.

They will be awarded a grade 1-9 following their GCSE examinations in the summer of Year 11.

In Key Stage 4 students have 4 lessons per week and home learning tasks are set on a weekly basis. Assessments to track progress are set regularly throughout each half term. With feedback being related to GCSE criteria to highlight areas of strength and development throughout the course.

Year 11 students have a bespoke scheme of work looking at addressing knowledge gaps with a focus of fluency, reasoning and problem solving. This is reviewed after summative assessments and mock results.

Throughout their time at The Heys High School, students are taught the following key skills:

·         Use and apply standard techniques

·         Students should be able to:

·         Accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions

·         Use and interpret notation correctly

·         Accurately carry out routine procedures or set tasks requiring multi-step solutions

·         Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically

Students should be able to:

·         Make deductions, inferences and draw conclusions from mathematical information

·         Construct chains of reasoning to achieve a given result

·         Interpret and communicate information accurately

·         Present arguments and proofs

·         Assess the validity of an argument and critically evaluate a given way of presenting information

·         Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts

·         Students should be able to:

·         Translate problems in mathematical or non-mathematical contexts into a process or a series of mathematical processes

·         Make and use connections between different parts of mathematics

·         Interpret results in the context of the given problem

·         Evaluate methods used and results obtained

·         Evaluate solutions to identify how they may have been affected by assumptions made

Revision sessions are offered for year 11 students in the lead up to public examinations and begin 3:05 – 4pm.