The Maths department has six full time teachers all working in their own rooms based entirely in the maths area. Three of the classrooms have interactive whiteboards and all are well equipped with good levels of resources that are still expanding. The department also has a suite of 16 computers that are used to support students in KS3 with the ILS Successmaker.
All staff teach a full range of ability, and across all year groups. Pupils are set at the start of year 7 and move between groups at points through the year based on teacher and formal assessment. Students in years 7,8 and 9 use the Collins Maths Frameworking series of textbooks, tailored to the ability of the pupils. In years 10 and 11 we use mainly the Collins AQA textbooks and work towards the modular GCSE. We also have a small sixth form currently following the AQA modular scheme.
All of our textbooks, from years 7 through to 13, enable staff to closely follow the National Curriculum, integrating cross-curricular themes, citizenship ICT and Engineering into their teaching.
Results in the department have been steadily improving over the last 4 years across both KS3 and KS4. They are good in the context of the school and have shown big gains in students from their point of entry at the end of Key Stage 2.
The department did very well in the last OFSTED inspection and is expecting to continue its success with raising results and adding value to our students.
Key areas of development across the next year are to increase the number of interactive whiteboards available to staff, a greater collaboration with the ICT department to raise pupils' understanding of the 'handling data' branch of Maths. There is also a big push to raise pupils' awareness of their own achievements through the use of Assessment For Learning.
Departmental Philosophy Aims and Objectives
1. To cultivate an understanding of the structure of mathematics and hence develop a love for mathematics for its own sake.
2. To develop the ability to reason logically and to apply this reasoning to a given set of conditions mathematical or otherwise.
3. To develop in our pupils an awareness of the part played by mathematics in shaping the world in which they live and in producing the technical achievements, which are transforming the world.
4. To foster an understanding of the historical development of mathematics.
5. To continue to develop numeracy (as defined in the National Numeracy Strategy) in our pupils in both our classrooms and in other curriculum areas.
6. Pupils should be encouraged to work in such a way that they achieve to the maximum of their ability.
7. All pupils must be given an equal opportunity to achieve success regardless of ability, sex, race, religion, culture social background or disability.
8. Pupils with special needs receive extra help to assist in meeting those needs.
9. The department deliver the requirements of the national curriculum for mathematics.
SAT Results 2007
Level 5+ 60 %
Level 6+ 34.7%
Level 7+ 11.6%
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