Mathematics

The Mathematics Department strive to develop, maintain and stimulate students' curiosity, interest and enjoyment in mathematics whilst achieving to their full potential.

• Mrs A Kochhar - Head of Mathematics
• Mrs L Holmes - 2nd in Faculty/KS5 Co-ordinator
• Miss S Vakeria - Lead Practitioner
• Ms Y Hindocha - Teacher of Mathematics
• Mr T Naeem -Teacher of Mathematics
• Mr J Swan - Teacher of Mathematics
• Mrs A Stuart - HLTA/Teacher in charge of Enrichment Activities
• Ms B Patrick - P/T Teacher in charge of KS3 Mathematics and Deputy Year Director
• Mr B Manu - Teacher of Mathematics

Click here to view the Maths Learning Journey

Please click below for detailed Programmes of Study for each year group:

 

Philosophy of the Mathematics Department

1. To develop, maintain and stimulate pupils' curiosity, interest and enjoyment in Mathematics.

2. To challenge pupils' Mathematics at their own level, giving them a 'balanced diet' of Mathematics.

3. To develop pupils' familiarity and understanding of mathematical concepts, methods and vocabulary.

4. To develop an appreciation of Mathematics in everyday life.

5. To provide continuity and progression from pupils' previous experiences of Mathematics.

6. To prepare students for examinations effectively, allowing them to achieve their potential.

The Mathematics Department

All students are encouraged to reach their potential through a variety of approaches ranging from mental strategies, investigation and practical work to computer and calculator methods as well as the more traditional classroom teaching.

We aim to help our students develop the confidence in a wider range of mathematical skills and to use a logical approach in their problem solving.

All students are placed into sets according to their attainment and continuous assessment allows for transfer between sets if necessary.

Key Stage 3

At KS3 Mathematics is delivered in three years across Years 7,8 and 9. Setting takes place early in Year 7 to reflect the differing needs of pupils. The pupils continue to be taught in sets throughout the school. They take regular topic tests that, together with class work, homework and teacher assessment are used to monitor their progress. Assessment is ongoing and setting is reviewed regularly. All Key Stage 3 pupils receive two pieces of Mathematics homework a week. During the KS3 scheme pupils work on units that cover the broad areas of Number, Shape and Space, Algebra and Data Handling.

If additional information about the content of the Key Stage 3 is required please feel free to contact the Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator, Ms Davis, or Mrs Kochhar.

Key Stage 4

The GCSE course is currently split over two years with students taking the GCSE examination at the end of Year 11. There are two tiers of entry, Higher Tier, which covers grades 9 to 4, and Foundation Tier, which covers grades 5 to 1. Pupils are set into seven sets in the Years 10 to 11 and follow the Edexcel Linear scheme at either the Higher or Foundation tier.

Work is assessed on a regular basis through mini tests and more detailed tests that cover more than one unit of work. Additionally, there are summary examinations at the end of each year and pupils will be monitored to ensure they are in the most appropriate set for their ability.

Some students find Mathematics very challenging so we have Maths support as an option at KS4 .In this course pupils are prepared for the Foundation entry level award. The award covers the key skills required in the GCSE and has proved very successful in supporting these students on their pathway to the full GCSE qualification.

If additional information about the content of the Key Stage 4 is required please feel free to contact Mrs Kochhar.

Key Stage 5

Sixth Form Mathematics is the one of most popular subject choice at A Level at the school, producing many top grades every year. The school follows the Edexcel syllabus. The options for the sixth form include Mathematics and Further Mathematics. The department also offer Mathematical studies called Core Mathematics for those pupils who want to study Mathematics beyond GCSE. 

If additional information about the content of Key Stage 5 is required please feel free to contact Mrs Holmes.

Year 13

The current Year 13 are following the linear course for both the A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics courses which allows some flexibility in the options covered for Further Mathematics. For A level Mathematics pupils will take two Pure Mathematics examinations covering the content from Year 12 and 13 and additionally they will also take a paper that covers Mechanics and Statistics. The Further Maths pupils also take four papers, two covering compulsory Pure Mathematics and two covering optional units. The optional units can be made up of units covering Decision Mathematics, Further Mechanics, Further Pure Mathematics or Further Statistics.

Year 12

The new Year 12 pupils will follow the linear courses from Edexcel with A level pupils having to study Mechanics, Statistics and Pure Mathematics with no optional units. The Further Mathematicians have some flexibility from their also optional units that cover the areas of Further Pure, Statistics, Mechanics and Decision Maths but also must take compulsory Pure Mathematics units.

At this level it is important to prepare students for university teaching and so we encourage them to take more responsibility for their learning whilst tracking their progress with regular homework and assessments. In doing this we make an Integral subscription available to pupils so that we can support their independent learning.

Core Maths Level 3 qualification

Core Maths builds on knowledge, understanding and skills established in GCSE . It then moves forward to applying this to real world situations. The course takes Maths into Problem Solving situations – e.g. as a City Planner, how big do we need to make a hole to store all the rubbish from a city over the next 20 years? The course looks at tax and personal finance, use of statistics and estimation. It fits very well with other A levels e.g. Geography, Psychology, Business, Economics and it maintains a level of maths which is attractive to employers and Universities for students who do not wish to do A Level.

There is also a GCSE retake class that is available for those pupils who have failed to achieve a grade 4 in their Year 11 exam.

If additional information about the content of the Key Stage 5 is required please feel free to contact Mrs Holmes.

Extra Curricular

There is also the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities. There is a thriving Mathematics club (Mathemagicians) that runs once a week. The more able students across the school are entered for the United Kingdom Maths Challenge and Sixth Form Students are able to attend and participate in events outside school. There are also opportunities for team events that take place across the school year in which pupils will represent the school against other Hillingdon schools.

In addition to the ‘Mathemagicians’, we also run a ‘Maths Clinic’ weekly. Maths clinic has been set up after COVID and has a particular focus around exams, the aim of this is to help our students overcome Maths anxiety and there are tasks that help build resilience. A focus on revision strategies and techniques is also part of the Maths Clinic.