Welcome to Beaumont School Mathematics Department!

Mathematical skills are fundamental to much of what we do in post-school life and for most of our students will be crucial to their success in later life. As a Specialist Maths and Computing College we are well placed to give our students the best possible grounding in and love of mathematics; many of our Year 12 and 13s study the subject in the sixth form, and a number go on to study this or related subjects in further education.

Aims

• To enable each pupil to develop their own mathematical skills and understanding. 
• To give them an enjoyment of the subject and an awareness of the importance of Mathematics in Science, Industry and Business.

Curriculum

When they enter the school in Year 7, pupils are placed in sets using information passed to us by their Primary teachers, to enable staff to work with pupils of a similar mathematical ability.  Although all pupils work on the same topics they do so from different starting points and at different paces depending upon their prior learning.  There are six sets across the year group and movement between the sets occurs where appropriate at the end of each half-term. 

All pupils are required to complete homework on a regular basis and to bring with them to lessons the necessary equipment for studying Mathematics, including a calculator.  Pupils are taught to use both non-calculator and calculator methods for solving problems and are encouraged to recognise when each is appropriate, to help prepare them for their GCSE examinations in which there are non-calculator as well as calculator papers. 

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

In Key Stage 3 pupils have four lessons of Mathematics per week. Pupils are taught using schemes of work based on the National Numeracy Strategy.  The Oxford University Press Maths Links scheme is used along with a variety of other resources.  There are four areas of the curriculum: Using and Applying; Number and Algebra; Shape, Space and Measure; and Data Handling.

For a summary of the curriculum in a particular KS3 school year you can download the relevant Year Course Booklet by clicking on these links:
Year 7 course booklet
Year 8 course booklet
Year 9 course booklet

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)

In Years 10 and 11 pupils are prepared for the GCSE course and are entered at the tier appropriate for their ability.  Pupils have three lessons of Mathematics per week in Year 10 and four lessons per week in Year 11, and are taught in two halves with four sets in each half.  The syllabus focuses on analysing problems, selecting strategies and applying mathematical techniques.

For details of the GCSE syllabus for students who began their GCSE course in September 2008 click on this link:
GCSE 2008-2010 syllabus

For details of the GCSE syllabus for students who begin their GCSE course in 2009 click on this link:
GCSE 2009-2011 syllabus

From September 2009  our most able students will be able to take their maths GCSE early, completing it at the end of Year 10; in Year 11 they will go on to study for the GCSE Additional Maths. This will give any students who are intending to go on to study maths at a higher level a much better grounding than the GCSE alone and will also give them additional UCAS points.

You can obtain details of coursework deadlines etc from the relevant Year Coursework Booklet by clicking on these links:
Year 10 course booklet
Year 11 course booklet

Years 12 and 13 (Sixth Form)

Students can take their interest in Mathematics further by studying the subject in the Sixth Form at AS, A level and IB level. Depending on students’ particular interest and abilities, there are various options which include Pure Maths with Statistics, Pure Maths with Mechanics, and for the more able students, Further Mathematics. For details of all courses on offer at Key Stage 5 go to the BeauSandVer consortium website.

Assessment

Assessment of pupils' progress and achievements in Years 7 - 9 is continuous and incorporates monitoring of classwork, self assessment, regular marking of homework, tasks done under controlled conditions, and end of year examinations.  As they move into Years 10 and 11, pupils will prepare for GCSE examinations. Those students starting their GCSE course in September 2009 will be taking the modular option which means that these examinations will be taken at different points of entry throughout the course.

Resources

As part of the ICT curriculum and also to aid the pupils in their understanding of Mathematics, regular use of the school’s computer suites is made by all classes.  In Year 7 this includes problem-solving activities and using Logo and Excel.  We also subscribe to the “My Maths” internet site which enables students to complete homework online and has tutorials for all of the objectives in the National Curriculum and GCSE course. 

Visits and Extra Curricular Avtivities

Students take part in the annual Maths Challenge on both a Team and individual basis and significant numbers are awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates in recognition of their achievement

The Maths Team