Mathematics

What will I study in Years 10 and 11?

Your child will follow the Edexcel GCSE specification with students following either the higher or foundation course.

Year 10

Year 10 set 1 and set 2 students follow the Edexcel Higher GCSE scheme of work. Set 4, 5, 6 and White Pathway students follow the Edexcel Foundation scheme. In year 10, set 3 follow a bespoke ‘intermediate’ cross-over scheme of work which incorporates both foundation content and some of the Higher GCSE content to ensure that your child is given every opportunity to work towards completing the Higher GCSE in year 11. The decision on the tier for set 3 students will be made following tracking 3 in year 10.

Year 11

In year 11, set 1 and set 2 students follow the Edexcel Higher GCSE scheme of work. Set 3, 4, 5, 6 and White Pathway students follow the Edexcel Foundation scheme. In year 11 we will revisit all areas of mathematics spending less time on those topics that our students have built confidence with in previous years and more time on those that require consolidation.

More specific details of the content taught in Years 10 and 11 can be found in the attached Curriculum Overviews.

What skills will I develop?

At Key Stage 4 your child will develop the following key skills:

• Communication
• Problem solving
• Evaluation
• Mental arithmetic
• Reasoning
• Logical thinking
• Abstract thinking
• Data analysis
• Research
• Attention to detail

How will I be assessed?

Year 10

• Tracking Exams:
  In maths, there are three rounds of formal tracking exams over the course of the academic year. Your child will sit one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers for each round of tracking to reflect the format of the exams when your child sits their GCSEs. For tracking 1 and 2, these exams will be past GCSE exam papers that have been adapted to contain questions on the topics that your child has been taught so far across KS3 and up to that point in year 10. For tracking 3, your child will sit formal mock exams in the Sports hall. They will sit a full past GCSE exam for this consisting of one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers. Each paper will be 1 hour 30 minutes long. Your child will receive a revision list for each of these rounds of tracking and should use these to revise independently for the assessments.
  Following every round of tracking your child will receive a Personal Learning Checklist (PLC). These will give personalised feedback on how your child has performed on every topic assessed in the tracking papers. They will also provide the Sparx clip number so that your child can use these to work independently to address any gaps they have in their understanding.
   
• Exam Preparation Lessons:
  At the end of each unit your child will sit a 30 minute assessment consisting of past GCSE exam questions on the topics that have been taught in recent lessons. Once your child has completed the assessment the class teacher will go through the questions with your child so that they can self-assess their work. Once they have done this the class teacher will collate feedback from the class and tailor the start of their lessons for the next week to address any gaps or misconceptions that have been identified.

Year 11

• Tracking Exams:
  In year 11 your child will sit two sets of formal mock exams. One will be in November and one will be in March. They will sit a full past GCSE exam for each of these consisting of one non-calculator paper and two calculator papers. Each paper will be 1 hour 30 minutes long.
  Following every round of tracking your child will receive a Personal Learning Checklist (PLC). These will give personalised feedback on how your child has performed on every topic assessed in the tracking papers. They will also provide the Sparx clip number and links to past GCSE exam questions on each topic so that your child can use these to work independently to address any gaps they have in their understanding.

• Exam Preparation Lessons:
  At the end of each unit your child will sit a 30-minute assessment consisting of past GCSE exam questions on the topics that have been taught in recent lessons. Once your child has completed the assessment the class teacher will go through the questions with your child so that they can self-assess their work. Once they have done this the class teacher will collate feedback from the class and tailor the start of their lessons for the next week to address any gaps or misconceptions that have been identified.

Curriculum Maps