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Good mathematics is not about how many answers you know...It's how you behave when you don't know. (Author unknown)
KEY STAGE 4 OVERVIEW (Years 10 and 11)
KEY STAGE 4 OVERVIEW (Years 10 and 11)
Students start their GCSE course in KS4. We have two tiers of entry: Higher and Foundation. Students in Sets 1 & 2 are entered for the Higher tier and students in sets 3 and below are entered for the Foundation tier.
Our examination specification is AQA, GCSE Mathemtics 8300 - (https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300/specification-at-a-glance )
Students complete prerequisite tests that help to identify gaps in their learning, as well as highlighting any prior knowledge. End of Topic Tests (for each unit of work) allow us to monitor progress and address areas of weakness.
Students in top sets take part in the UK Intermediate Maths Challenges.
All students are welcome to attend our weekly Maths Club, which is held in B58, every Tuesday from 1500 - 1600. Members of our maths team are available to support students with classwork they might be struggling with, offer advice and support for exam revision and assist with maths homework.
Year 10:
Year 10:
In year 10, students will get the opportunity to really see the interconnected nature of Maths and they will learn to apply the subject knowledge they have already acquired in more complex and sophisticated ways. Students will experience questions that go beyond routine and repetition so they will be required to think about what skills or concepts need to be applied in different contexts. Our aim in year 10 is to help students become more confident and resilient problem solvers by encouraging them to try out different methods to see what works and what doesn’t. We aim for students to start to appreciate the actual process behind reaching an answer. Students will also be formally introduced to GCSE exam style questions and will have the opportunity to develop their exam techniques including common errors and misconceptions, layout and workings, checking answers, mastering using a calculator, command words and how to tackle wordy questions. Higher students will begin to stretch further into more advanced applications of these skills.
In year 10, students will get the opportunity to really see the interconnected nature of Maths and they will learn to apply the subject knowledge they have already acquired in more complex and sophisticated ways. Students will experience questions that go beyond routine and repetition so they will be required to think about what skills or concepts need to be applied in different contexts. Our aim in year 10 is to help students become more confident and resilient problem solvers by encouraging them to try out different methods to see what works and what doesn’t. We aim for students to start to appreciate the actual process behind reaching an answer. Students will also be formally introduced to GCSE exam style questions and will have the opportunity to develop their exam techniques including common errors and misconceptions, layout and workings, checking answers, mastering using a calculator, command words and how to tackle wordy questions. Higher students will begin to stretch further into more advanced applications of these skills.
All students will sit one assessment, before Easter, throughout the academic year.
This assessment is based on the content covered up to that point (and also include prior KS3 skills & knowledge).
The results of this (plus teacher assessment acquired throughout the year) allows us to make decisions about tiers of entry for the start of Year 11.
Year 11:
Year 11:
In year 11, students will learn the remaining content required to be successful in GCSE Mathematics as well as have the opportunity to fully consolidate their learning throughout Key Stage 3 and Year 10. Students will become confident in interpreting and communicating mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context. They will also concentrate on acquiring the mathematical skills required to select and apply techniques to solve problems. There will be an emphasis on revision and retrieval of content as well as exam question practice to further develop their exam techniques.
In year 11, students will learn the remaining content required to be successful in GCSE Mathematics as well as have the opportunity to fully consolidate their learning throughout Key Stage 3 and Year 10. Students will become confident in interpreting and communicating mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context. They will also concentrate on acquiring the mathematical skills required to select and apply techniques to solve problems. There will be an emphasis on revision and retrieval of content as well as exam question practice to further develop their exam techniques.
The top two sets study for GCSE entry at Higher Tier and sets 3, 4 and 5 study Foundation Tier.
All students will sit (minimum) two Pre-Public Exams (PPE's). The first is at the beginning of October and the second is normally in February. The results of these FULL GCSE exams allows us to identify each student's achievements, progress and areas of weakness, where we can focus specific intervention and make final tier of entry decisions.
In addition to the weekly Maths Club and after-school intervention groups, Year 11 students are offered the opportunity to have free, one-to-one Maths Mentoring. This valuable support programme is run on a Saturday morning: each free session is an hour long.
For further details please contact Mrs S. Evans s.evans@smithdonhigh.org.uk
ks4 foundation learning journey NEW 23-24.pdf ks4 higher learning journey NEW 23-24.pdfPage updated
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