Mathematics
 Introduction to Department |
The Mathematics department at Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College is currently staffed by nine specialist
Maths teachers and is led by Programme Director, Mr Nathan Bowker.
Ofsted described the department as well managed and enthusiastically led, with good teaching and learning. Each member of staff is hardworking, enthusiastic and forward thinking leading to “standards in Mathematics being
consistently well above average”. (Ofsted 2005)
The department has nine dedicated classrooms, two of which are equipped with suites of networked computers. All teachers have their own laptop and each classroom has an interactive white board and data projector.
The department is generously resourced with full class sets of text books, Mathematical software for use in whole class teaching and subscriptions to the excellent Mathematical websites including MyMaths which pupils can access at home.
There are comprehensive schemes of work in place in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. The secondary strategy is fully implemented in years 7, 8 and 9. The new two tier GCSE course from Edexcel in studied in years 10 and 11 is complemented by the introduction of GCSE Statistics for all Year 10 pupils.
Our aim is to make mathematics as accessible and enjoyable as possible for all our students through the use of a variety of teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles.
| Members of Staff List |
Mr N. Bowker - Assistant Head Teacher and Programme Director
Mr B. Young - Assistant Programme Director in charge of Key Stage 4
Mr M. McGinness - Assistant Programme Director in charge of Key Stage 3
Mrs V. Didyk-Wild
Mr P. Wild
Mrs J. Hutchings
Mr L. Ward
Mr S. Brown
Miss N. Casement
| The Maths Curriculum |
Upon entry to year 7 pupils are taught in mixed ability tutor groups to allow a settling in period. After approximately two weeks all pupils are tested and the four tutor groups in each half year spilt into five teaching sets based on ability.
Any pupils indentified as gifted in Mathematics, at this time, are given the opportunity to join an accelerated set. These pupils will attend one extra lesson of Mathematics per week during a Monday or Tuesday afternoon. They will sit their Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests or SATs at the end of year 8 before progressing on to early entry at GCSE. It is expected that these pupils will then study an AS unit in year 11.
All other pupils will have three one-hour lessons of Mathematics per week.
After sitting their National Curriculum Tests in year 9 pupils will be reset in preparation for GCSE.
All pupils follow the Edexcel Linear GCSE Mathematics course at either Higher (A*-D) or Foundation (C-G) level. This is assessed by two exams at the end of year 11, one calculator and one non-calculator.
In addition, all year 10 pupils are given the opportunity to achieve an additional qualification in Edexcel Linear GCSE Statistics at either Higher (A*-D) or Foundation (C-G) level. This course incorporates coursework which is completed before Christmas in year 10.
Student setting is regularly reviewed throughout the year after whole year formal assessments.
| Resources |
Pupils have access to many resources at both key stage 3 and key stage 4.
The main textbook used at key stage 3 is the Key Maths series of books.
The main textbook used at key stage 4 is the Heinmann series of books.
The department holds a subscription to MyMaths and each pupil can be issued with their own username and password for access to revision packs.
The mathematics department also has access to Whiteboard Maths, Census at School and Ten Ticks which are used for whole class teaching and individual work.
In addition, every pupil is issued with their own homework book
| Homework |
Homework is set weekly from the homework book provided, via the MyMaths website or teacher’s own questions.
It is important that pupils complete homework on time and to the best of their ability as this contributes to teacher assessments and decisions on exam entry and setting.
| Equipment |
Pupils are required to bring:
- Their exercise book
- Pen
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Calculator
to every mathematics lesson.
At times throughout the year pupils may also be requested to bring other mathematical equipment to lessons such as a protractor or pair of compasses. It is expected that all pupils have access to this equipment.
| Exam Success |
Key Stage 3
2008 has been our most successful year yet with 88% of pupils achieving a level 5 or above in their key stage 3 examinations.
In addition, 96% of the accelerated year 8 pupils who were entered early for their examinations achieved a level 7 or 8 with 100% attaining a level 6. This was deemed an “exceptional success” by Ofsted on their recent inspection.
Key Stage 4
In GCSE Mathematics 67% of pupils achieved a pass at grades A* - C in 2008. This was well above targets set on pupils KS3 results and is evidence of the outstanding progress made by pupils from KS3 to KS4.
In GCSE Statistics half of all pupils entered achieved a pass at grades A* - C in 2008 giving them one full additional GCSE.
| The Key Stage 3 Curriculum |
Mathematics is a spiralling curriculum and students will find topics are revisited and extended throughout years 7, 8 and 9. In this way pupils will build upon previous learning and deepen their understanding.
There are four main strands of teaching at key stage 3:
- Using and Applying Mathematics
- Number and Algebra
- Shape, Space and Measure
- Data Handling, including Probability
The table below is a guide to the topics covered at key stage 3.
In line with the new National Curriculum the new year 7 scheme of work includes explicit opportunities for using and applying mathematics, in addition to those already offered.
Revision
In addition to regular homework it is important that pupils take an interest in their own learning and success by spending time revising work already covered.
The following websites have information on topics studied at KS3, quizzes and games to help you revise:
The following revision packs and practice tests have been produced to focus revision in the run up to end of key stage 3 examinations.
| The Key Stage 4 Curriculum |
The key stage 4 curriculum is designed to revise and extend their work at key stage 3.
There are four main strands of teaching at key stage 4:
- Using and Applying Mathematics
- Number and Algebra
- Shape, Space and Measure
- Data Handling, including Probability
The table below is a guide to the topics covered at key stage 4.
Revision
It is extremely important that pupils spend time revising in year 10 and 11 since their studies will build upon the work they have already done in key stage 3. It is important that basic skills aren’t forgotten!
The following websites have information on topics studied at KS4, quizzes and games to help you revise:
The following revision packs and practice tests have been produced to focus revision in the run up to GCSE examinations.
In addition the Maths Watch CD is available from the college exchange or the maths department. This is an excellent resource which shows step-by-step tutorials to many topics and gives you the opportunity to pause the CD and practice questions yourself.
| Moodle |
The mathematics department's VLE can be accessed via the link on the left hand menu. The site is currently under construction but there are many revision activities and PowerPoint lessons already available and it is being updated regularly. The mathematics department aims for this to be a highly effective revision and support tool to all pupils studying mathematics and statistics at Hollingworth Business & Enterprise College.
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