CURRICULUM

Maths

Maths Curriculum Intent

Mathematics increases students’ resilience for problem solving when they have limited information. It teaches them how to think and work systematically, critically analyse information and effectively communicate the steps within their thinking. Our curriculum adopts a ‘no tricks’ approach to teaching, developing a growth mindset: everybody can do mathematics. We aim to increase awareness and understanding of where the mathematics is used in the real world to enable our students to be ‘school ready, work, ready, life ready’.

MATHS STRANDS

Number

Number is interleaved throughout the five years. Number includes teaching students about numerical structure and calculation, fractions, decimals and percentages and measures and accuracy.

Algebra is interleaved throughout the five years. Algebra includes teaching student’s algebraic notation, vocabulary and manipulation, graphs, solving equations and inequalities and sequences.

Algebra

Ratio, Proportion, and rates of change

Students begin to learn about proportion through calculating and using fractions and percentages. They are introduced to proportion in y8 and ratio in y9. Within this content the students are taught to use ratio notation, simplify ratios, and divide quantities using ratios. In y10 and y11 this content is linked to algebra and graphs to support students understand how to calculate rates of change e.g. gradient of a line.

Geometry and measures are interleaved throughout the five years. Within this content students are taught the properties of 2D and 3D shape and how to construct them. They are also taught how to calculate perimeter, area and volume of shape and use units of measurement. They learn about angle facts and bearings and when they reach KS4 they are introduced to Pythagoras and Trigonometry to calculate missing sides and angles in triangles.

Geometry and Measures

Probability

Probability is interleaved throughout the five years. In this are of maths students learn to apply their knowledge of fractions, decimals, and percentages to calculate likelihood and chance of events occurring both theoretically and experimentally. Students are taught how to use tables and diagrams such as sample space diagrams, tree diagrams and Venn diagrams to help them calculate independent and dependent events.

Statistics is interleaved throughout the five years. The core of the statistics content is to teach students both how to draw and interpret a variety of graphs and charts such as bar charts, pie charts and frequency polygons in ks3. In Ks4 students are introduced to cumulative frequency, box plots and histograms. Students are also taught about different types of data, sampling and the importance of bias.

STATISTICS

Year 7

Calculations
All students are taught to confidently work with place value to multiply and divide by powers of ten. They then develop their mental and formal written calculations for multiplication and division with both integers and decimals including introducing students to the grid method that will support them with algebra later in the curriculum.
TOPIC 1
Number Sense
All students will be taught to convert confidently between fractions decimal and percentages with and without a calculator. They are also taught how to use a number line to place and order fractions, decimals, percentages and negative numbers. They also practice the four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using negative numbers. Tier 1 students take this one step further and make use of inequality symbols to compare numbers and use a number line. They also convert to recurring decimals as well as terminating decimals.
Topic 2
Algebraic Notation
All students will be taught to write and simplify algebraic expressions and terms in an expression using the four operations, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. They are introduced to the formal notation and language of algebra. Tier 1 students also learn to expand and factorise single brackets in this topic.
Topic 3
2D Shape, Angles and Symmetry
All students will be taught to use and identify rotational and reflectional symmetry and learn the properties and angle facts of 2D shapes, specifically quadrilaterals and triangles. Tier 1 students also learn the properties and how to calculate the interior and exterior angles of regular and irregular polygons.
Topic 4
Fractions
All students will be taught to perform all four operations with fractions, mixed numbers and integers. They are also required to convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers as well as simplify fractions. Tier 1 students will also perform these operations with numbers between -1 and 1.
Topic 5
Time
All students will be taught to solve basic functional time problems for example using different units of time, clocks and reading bus and train timetables. They will be given an opportunity to plan a journey using what they have learned.
Topic 6
Equations
All students will be taught to solve linear equations, beginning with one step equations up to two step equations and including expanding brackets. They are also taught checking methods to ensure their answers are correct.
Topic 7
Percentages
All students will be taught to calculate confidently simple percentages of an amount with and without a calculator. They are also shown how to calculate percentage changes and Tier 1 students learn to write one quantity as a percentage of another.
Topic 8
Measure
All students will be taught to convert between metric units of measurement as well as accurately use measuring tools such as a ruler for accurate line drawing and a protractor for constructing angles. They are also introduced to scales including map scales and learning to read and draw accurate scale drawings.
Topic 9
Formulae
Students are taught to write expressions from a context and introduced to formulae. They will be taught how to substitute integer and decimal values into expressions and formulae. Tier 1 students will also be shown how to rearrange basic formulae.
Topic 10
Area and Perimeter
All students will be taught to calculate perimeter and area of rectilinear compound shapes, quadrilaterals and triangles. They will be taught how to work with shapes with lengths in different metric units and how to work backwards to find missing dimensions. This links to their work on solving equations earlier in the year.
Topic 11
Coordinates
All students will learn how to plot and read positive coordinates on four quadrants and solve simple geometric problems using coordinates. Tier 1 students are also taught to work with 3D coordinates.
Topic 12
Rounding and Estimating
All students will be taught to round numbers to a nearest power of ten as well as decimals places and significant figures. Tier 1 students will also be asked to express their answers as error intervals using inequality symbols.
Topic 13
Data and Frequency Tables
All students will be taught to sort and classify data into sets as well as use two way tables, tally charts and venn diagrams. Tier 1 students will use inequality symbols for grouped data.
Topic 14
3D Shape
All students will be taught to recognise and name 3D objects and their properties. They will also be taught how to draw and recognise 2D representations of 3D objects. Tier 1 will be introduced to surface area of simple 2D objects.
Topic 15
Financial Awareness
Students will be taught how:
• To calculate the annual cost of subscriptions and services
• To know and understand what constitutes the cost of living
• To be able to plan make financial decisions that take possible future events into account
• To be able to plan within a monthly budget
Topic 16

Year 8

Types of Number
All students will be taught to recognise and use types of numbers e.g. factors, multiples, square, cube and prime numbers. They also recap rounding to significant figures and multiplying and dividing powers of 10 from y7. They are introduced to Highest common factor and lowest common multiples and simple index laws using numerical bases.
TOPIC 1
Algebraic Expressions
All students will be taught to expand and simplify expressions with single brackets including expressions with more than one single bracket. They will also apply the index laws to algebraic terms and learn how to factorise expressions.
Topic 2
Proportion
All students will be taught to solve direct proportion problems including using the unitary method to find the cost or value of a single item as a strategy to solve best buy and currency conversion problems. This topic applies a variety different real life contexts that involve multiplying and dividing two quantities in proportion. Tier 1 students also look at simple inverse proportion problems.
Topic 3
Transformations
All students will be taught to understand the terms ‘congruent’, ‘congruence’, ‘object’, ‘image’ in order to support drawing and describing three types of transformations, reflection, rotation and translations. Tier 1 students also have to name the equations of the mirror line when reflecting.
Topic 4
Equations
All students will be taught to continue their learning from year 7 on solving equations. They will see equations in which the solution may not be a whole number. In year 8 they will have to solve multi-step equations including with brackets and fractions, tier 1 students will see equations with unknowns on both sides. The students will also be taught how to set up and solve equations in different contexts.
Topic 5
Averages and Range
All students will be taught to calculate median, mode and range from a list, a frequency table and from a bar chart. They will be shown how to interpret averages as a way of comparing two sets of data in context.
Topic 6
Fractions, Percentages and Decimals review
All students will be reviewing their prior learning on Fractions, decimals and percentages. They are taught to carry out all four operations with fractions including with mixed numbers. They also need to fluently convert between fractions decimals and percentages with and without a calculator. They are then taught to calculate with percentages including increasing and decreasing with and without a calculator.
Topic 7
Formulae
All students will be taught set up a formula from a context and substitute values into it, the values may be negative, decimals or fractions. In addition, they are shown how to rearrange formulae to change the subject so they can use formula for solve a problem.
Topic 8
Angles, Polygons and Parallel Lines
All students will be taught to recognise and name regular and irregular polygons. Students are taught to be able to find missing angles within triangles and quadrilaterals as well as interior and exterior angles for polygons. They also apply their knowledge from equations to set up and solve equations involving angles. Tier 1 students are introduced to angle rules between parallel lines.
Topic 9
Probability
All students will be taught to express a probability as a fraction, decimal or percentage and understand the vocabulary of chance including impossible, unlikely, evens, likely, certain. Students are introduced to the concept of theoretical and experimental probabilities and shown how to use diagrams to list and calculate probabilities of two events.
Topic 10
Sequences
All students will be taught to continue numerical and non-numerical sequences. This is an opportunity to revisit key language using sequences that include different types of numbers e.g. square, even, odd, prime, factor and multiple. Students learn to find the term to term and nth term rules of a sequence.
Topic 11
Area and Perimeter
All students will be taught to build on their learning from year 7 and will now need to solve problems involving area of triangles and rectangles. They will also be taught how to work backwards to find missing dimensions. This topic will now include area of other quadrilaterals including parallelograms and trapezia. Tier 1 students will also be taught how to calculate area and perimeter of circles, semi circles and quarter circles.
Topic 12
Constructions and Congruence
All students will be taught to construct both angle, line and point to line bisections and how to apply these to loci problems. They will also develop a further understanding of congruence and how to prove two triangles are congruent. Tier 1 students will also be taught triangle constructions.
Topic 13
Kinematics
All students will be taught to convert between metric and imperial measures when given the conversion as well as covert between different metric units. They will then be taught the connection between speed, distance and time and use the speed = distance / time formula in simple 1-stage problems. Tier 1 students will also be taught to find the average speed over a distance time graph and describe a journey from a given distance/displacement time graph.
Topic 14
Volume and Surface Area
All students will be taught to build on their learning from year 7 on properties of 3D shapes to be able to draw nets, calculate volume of prisms and surface area of cuboids and triangular prisms. Tier 1 students will also be shown how to find the volume and surface area of cylinders using their knowledge from area and perimeter on area and circumference of circles.
Topic 15
Financial Awareness
All students are taught to: • Be able to understand bank statements, what a balance, credit and debit is. • Understand wages and how much of their salary they see after tax and National Insurance. • Understand debt and learn methods to stay in control of their finances • Be aware of how they can be defrauded/scammed out of their money.
Topic 16

Year 9

Foundation
Higher
Types of Number (Decimals and Indices)
All students will be taught to know how to find LCM and HCF using Venn Diagrams and know how to use them to solve problems. They are also taught to be able to convert large and small numbers to standard form and vice versa. Included in this topic is calculating with numbers in index form i.e. 43 + 52 and rounding to significant figures to estimate.
TOPIC 1
Algebraic Expressions
All students will be taught to simplify an expression involving sums, products, and powers, expand a single and double bracket, factorise a linear expression and substitute values into expressions and equations. They also recap the index laws and rearranging equations to change the subject of a formula.
Topic 2
Proportion
All students will be taught to understand direct proportion as well as solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, understand a graphical representation of something in direct proportion. Students will use comparisons to be able to identify best buys for multi-step problems, including those where different combinations of deals can be used.
Topic 3
Averages
All students will be recap how find the mean, median and mode from a list of data. They will then be taught to find the mode, median and mean from frequency data and grouped frequency data.
Topic 4
Ratio
All students will be taught to understand what a ratio means and its link to fraction notation and proportion. Students are then shown how to simplify ratios write a ratio in the form 1: n and n: 1 and divide a quantity into a 2 or 3 part ratio.
Topic 5
Area and Perimeter
All students will be taught to use standard formulae to solve problems involving areas of parallelograms, triangles, trapezia, and compound shapes. They also get taught to know and apply the formulae for area of a circle and circumference of a circle.
Topic 6
Fractions
All students will be taught to know and find equivalent fractions, simplify a fraction and convert between mixed numbers and improper fractions to ensure they are confident at the four operations with fractions and mixed numbers, including using a calculator.
Topic 7
Solving Equations
All students will be taught to write an expression and an equation, and solve a variety of equations including one-step, two-step, equations with brackets and equations with unknowns on both sides.
Topic 8
Frequency Diagrams
All students will be taught to draw and interpret two-way tables, frequency trees, dual and composite bar charts, line graphs and Venn Diagrams.
Topic 9
Percentages
All students will be taught to understand fractions or percentages as operators. They will be taught how to calculate a fraction or percentage of an amount, write one amount as a fraction or percentage of another and calculate a percentage change.
Topic 10
Pie Charts and Scatter Diagrams
All students will be taught to construct and interpret pie charts and scatter diagrams. They will be taught the meaning of the term correlation and learn to draw lines of best fit on a scatter diagram in order to estimate values.
Topic 11
Linear Graphs
All students will be taught to draw the lines, y=x, y=-x, y=n and x=n and understand which lines are parallel to the axes as well as draw a line in the format y=mx + c. They will be taught to find the gradient of a straight line from the equation and graph.
Topic 12
Inequalities
All students will be taught to know and understand the inequality symbols < ≤ > ≥ = ≡. They will be taught to solve a linear inequality and represent inequalities on a number line.
Topic 13
Scale Drawing, Nets and Plans and Elevations
All students will be taught to understand what a scale factor is and use scale factors to solve problems. They will be taught to draw & interpret plans and elevations as well as nets of shapes.
Topic 14
Types of Data and Sampling
All students will be taught to describe and identify types of data and use the data handling cycle. They are also taught different sampling methods, including stratified sampling.
Topic 15
Volume
All students will be taught to find the Volume of a prism by counting squares and by calculation. They will also be taught to find the Volume of a cylinder.
Topic 16
Probability
All students will be taught to write probabilities in words, fractions, decimals and percentages and place these on a scale from 0 to 1. They will be shown how to systematically list all outcomes for single and combined events as well as use and draw sample space diagrams.
Topic 17
Financial Awareness
All students will be taught to:
• Understand the importance of their Credit Rating and how this affects their financial options.
• Understand that borrowing money costs interest and be able to calculate monthly interest charges.
• Understand how to calculate tax
• Understand interest charges on Payday Loans
• Understand what a payslip looks like
• Understand the risks and rewards of investing
Topic 18

Year 10

Foundation
Higher
Factors Multiples and Primes
All students will be taught to find the prime factor decomposition of a positive integer and write as a product of its prime factors (understand that each number has a unique prime factor decomposition). They also learn to find LCM and HCF of two numbers: by listing, Venn diagrams, and using prime numbers – including using the prime factor decomposition of two numbers.
TOPIC 1
Equations
All students will be taught to solve one and two step linear equations using 1 variable, solve any linear equation where the unknown appears once - including with brackets or fractions and solve an equation with unknowns on both sides. They also learn to apply solving linear equations to other aspects of maths.
Topic 2
Indices
All students will be taught to understand and use index notation including finding (or estimating) values of calculations involving square roots, cube roots, and positive indices as well as use indices correctly in the hierarchy of operations including with brackets. They will recap and practise using the index laws.
Topic 3
Sequences
All students will be taught to generate terms of a sequence from a term-to-term rule and a position-to-term rule. They will also be taught how to find the term-to-term rule and position-to-term rule for a linear sequence as well as recognise and use sequences of triangular, square and cube numbers, simple arithmetic progressions, Fibonacci type sequences and quadratic sequences.
Topic 4
Ratio
All students will be taught to understand the link between ratio and fractions and be able to use fractions to solve ratio problems. All students will be taught to use ratio notation so they can divide a given quantity into two parts in a given part: part or part: whole ratio; apply ratio to real contexts and problems. This year there is also the addition of writing three part or two-part ratios by combining two other ratios e.g. Find A: C given A: B and B: A and relating ratios to linear functions
Topic 5
Angles and Bearings
All students will be taught to use the standard conventions for labelling and referring to the sides and angles of a triangle and know how to apply the properties of angles at a point, on a straight line, vertically opposite angles, including when represented algebraically. They will learn to understand and use alternate, co-interior and corresponding angles on parallel lines. Students will also be taught to measure, draw and read bearings and understand and use the scale for distance on a map.
Topic 6
Formulae
All students will be taught to substitute numerical values into scientific formulae as well as understand and use standard mathematical formulae. They will learn to rearrange formulae to change the subject when they contain brackets or when the subject appears twice.
Topic 7
Proportion
All students will be taught to understand direct proportion and its link to equivalent ratios. They will learn to use a multiplier when solving problems involving direct proportion or proportional increase/decrease and solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, including graphical and algebraic representations.
Topic 8
Compound Units
All students will be taught to use compound units such as speed and rates of pay as well as density and pressure. They will learn to change freely between compound units e.g. from km/h to metres/second or from wage per hour to wage per annum. in numerical and algebraic contexts. The students are also taught to draw and interpret a distance-time graph and compound measures graph (e.g. cost per mile for a taxi company).
Topic 9
Similarity and Congruence
All students will be taught to identify congruent shapes, and to show that two shapes are congruent. They will learn to produce a congruent shape by reflecting, rotating, or translating a shape and understand why it is congruent and produce similar shapes by enlargement – including with a fractional scale factor and explain why these shapes are similar. All students will learn to solve problems involving similar shapes where the scale factor is known or can be found.
Topic 10
Factorising Quadratics
All students will be taught to factorise a linear expression by taking out a common factor and expand the product of two linear brackets. They then learn to factorise a quadratic expression of the form x² + bx + c and factorise the difference of two squares.
Topic 11
Surface Area and Volume
All students will be taught to use standard formulae to solve problems involving areas of parallelograms, triangles and trapezia as well as calculate area and circumference of circles. They will learn to calculate the volume and surface area of any prism as well as the surface area and volume of composite solids. They also learn to calculate the volume and surface area of spheres, cones, and pyramids.
Topic 12
Linear and Quadratic Functions
All students will be taught to recognise that y=mx+c corresponds to a linear graph and know how the parts of this equation determine the line. They learn to calculate the gradient of a straight-line segment using dy/dx and find the equation of any straight line. They will also be taught to recognise and plot simple quadratic functions.
Topic 13
Pythagoras’ Theorem
All students will be taught to recall and use the formula a²+b²=c²to find the hypotenuse right angled triangle and to find one of the shorter side lengths of a right-angled triangle. Students will then learn to use Pythagoras’ theorem in context or to solve other geometrical problems - for example to find the distance between two coordinates.
Topic 14
Fractions Decimals and Percentages
All students will be recap their prior learning and skills on all four operations with decimals and fractions, converting fluently between fractions, decimals, and percentages. They will also learn to find a percentage of a quantity, increase or decrease a quantity by a given percentage, calculate a repeated percentage change, calculate a change in quantity as a percentage change and calculate reverse percentages.
Topic 15
Probability
All students will be taught to compare experimental data and theoretical probabilities, compare relative frequencies from samples of different sizes. They will also learn to estimate the number of times an event will occur, given the probability and the number of trials and use two way tables and frequency trees to record information and calculate probabilities.
Topic 16
Financial Awareness
All students will be taught to:
• Understand the importance of their credit rating and how this effects their financial options
• Understand what options available post-16 and the associated costs are
• Understand how to improve their credit score
• Understand the costs associated with buying a car
• Understand how job choices and financial status affect mental health
Topic 17

Year 11

Foundation
Higher
Fractions Decimals and Percentages
All students will recap their knowledge and skills on all four operations with decimals and fractions, convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers and find a fraction of a quantity. This topic will also revise finding a percentage of a quantity, increase or decrease a quantity by a given percentage, calculate a repeated percentage change and calculate a change in quantity as a percentage change. They will then learn to calculate simple reverse percentage change and compound percentage change.
TOPIC 1
Probability Trees and Venn Diagrams
All students will be taught to draw and use tree diagrams to calculate the probability of two independent events and two dependent events. They will also learn how to place elements in Venn diagrams with 2 sets, according to their properties use set notation to find probabilities from a Venn diagram.
Topic 2
Powers. Roots and Standard form
All students will be taught to use indices correctly in the hierarchy of operations including with brackets, with and without a calculator as well as recall and use the index laws of multiplication, division and powers of powers. They will learn to interpret and compare numbers in standard form and calculate with numbers in standard form. They are also taught to simplify expressions in the form √y x √y or (√y)2 , x√a + y√a and simplify expressions involving surds and brackets such as a(√x + b).
Topic 3
Sequences
All students will be taught to generate a sequence given an nth term and find an nth term of a given sequence. They will learn to recognise, use and continue non-linear sequences such as Fibonacci chains, cube numbers and triangular numbers and simple geometric progressions such as 2n.
Topic 4
Arcs and Sectors
All students will be taught to know and recognise the parts of circle and know and apply the formulae for area of a circle and circumference of a circle. They will learn to calculate the perimeter and area of composite shapes that include sections of a circle. They are taught to know how to find arc length as well as the area of a sector. They also learn to calculate the volume of a cylinder.
Topic 5
Ratio and Proportion
All students will be taught to use ratio notation, including reduction to simplest form. They learn to divide a given quantity into two parts in a given part: part or part: whole ratio; apply ratio to real contexts and problems. They will also learn to solve problems involving direct and inverse proportion, understand a graphical representation of something in direct proportion. Students are taught to compare lengths, areas and volumes using ratio notation; make links to similarity and scale factors and interpret equations that describe inverse and direct proportion
Topic 6
Simultaneous Equations and Inequalities
All students will be taught to generate and plot coordinates and draw the graph of any linear function and recognise that y=mx+c corresponds to a linear graph and know how the parts of this equation determine the line. They are also taught to solve simultaneous equations, including those where one or both equations need to be multiplied and how to plot a pair of simultaneous equations on a set of axes and know that the point of intersection is the solution for that pair of equations. They are taught to represent inequalities on a number line and solve an inequality.
Topic 7
Topic 8
Averages
All students will be taught to find the mean, median and mode and range from a list of data and make comparisons using averages or the range. They also learn to estimate or find the range, mode, median and mean from a grouped and ungrouped frequency tables and graphs.
Topic 8
Topic 8
Quadratics
All students will be taught to expand single brackets and double brackets and factorise linear expressions. They learn to solve a quadratic equation by factorising and draw a quadratic graph including graphs with a negative coefficient of x². They also learn to find approximate solutions to quadratic equations using a graph as well as deduce roots and turning points (minimum and maximum points) of quadratic functions.
Topic 9
Other Graphs
All students will be taught to recognise, sketch and interpret graphs of linear, quadratic functions, cubic functions and the reciprocal function y = 1/x. They also learn to plot and interpret graphs in real contexts to find approximate solutions to problems.
Topic 10
Vectors
All students will be taught to describe vectors as 2D translations, add and subtract column and diagrammatic vectors and multiply column and diagrammatic vectors by a scalar. They also learn to recognise that when one vector is a scalar multiple of another then the lines will be parallel.
Topic 11
Pythagoras Recap and Trigonometry
All students will be taught to recall and use the formula for Pythagoras to find the hypotenuse right angled triangle and one of the shorter side lengths of a right-angled triangle as well as use Pythagoras’ theorem in context or to solve other geometrical problems. Students also learn to know the trigonometric ratios to set up and solve a trigonometric equation to find a missing side in a right-angled triangle and a missing angle in a right-angled triangle.
Topic 12
Constructions and Loci
All students will be taught to use the angle facts for points, lines, parallel and intersecting lines, and regular polygons. They both construct and prove congruent triangles using ASA, SAS, SSS & RHS. They learn to construct both angle, line and point to line bisections, construct a locus of a points from a fixed point, line or shape and apply bisections and loci to solve problems.
Topic 13

College Calendar

  • Y11 Parents Evening – Tuesday 28th January 2025
  • Y9 Parents Evening – Tuesday 4th February 2025
  • INSET day- Friday 14th February 2025
  • Y10 Parents Evening – Tuesday 25th February 2025
  • Y7 Parents Evening – Tuesday 29th April 2025
  • INSET day – Friday 27th June 2025
  • INSET day – Monday 21st July 2025
  • INSET day – Tuesday 22nd Juy 2025

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