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St Clement's High School

Maths Department

The Mathematics Department has 5 groups for each year group, being taught by a dedicated team who are enthusiastic about the achievements of the students.

ALL students are expected to come to lessons fully equipped, as this will enhance their learning.

The equipment required is:

  • 2 Pens
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Eraser
  • Sharpener
  • Protractor
  • Pair of Compasses
  • Scientific Calculator

We would also recommend coloured pencils/pens and highlighters.

For students in Year 10 & 11 we also suggest that they have a revision guide appropriate to the course that they are following and that they bring this into their lessons.

All these items can be purchased from the school shop.

 

 Key Stage 3 Maths

Mathematics at KS3

Mathematics at KS3 is taught in broadly mixed groups for the first half term.  Students are then set using a range of data.  Students are given opportunities to develop their mathematical thinking through a range of activities.  Numeracy fluency is encouraged through the use of different starter activities including Numeracy Ninjas, number detectives, times table quizzes and ski runs.

The curriculum follows a logical progression through the areas of number, algebra, ratio and proportion, geometry and measures, statistics and probability.  Work in lessons is pitched appropriately however teachers provide opportunities for support or extension as needed.

From September 2022 homework will be set using the online resource ‘Sparx’; depending on the year group, homework will be set each week, or every other week. Sparx will set the pupils questions to complete, based on the scheme of work studied so far, and levelled appropriately from past performance. Pupils will complete the homework online; each homework should take up to one hour to complete fully; answers will be written in a homework book, which the pupils will keep at home. The Sparx website includes video tutorials which pupils can access to help them with the homework. The Sparx software will make random checks of the pupils answers written in their books and send weekly reports to both their teachers and parents via email.

We enter the most able students for the UKMT challenge, the starting point for entry into the Maths Olympiad, and other competitions organized by various organisations.

 Key Stage 4 Maths

Mathematics at KS4

At the end of year 9 all pupils sit an end of year test; the results of this test determine which set the pupils will be in at the start of year 10 and KS4. There are five mathematics sets in KS4: sets 1 and 2 will be entered for the higher tier; sets 3 to 5 for the foundation tier. However, a pupil in set 3 may still be entered for the higher tier if they show they have the ability and commitment needed to study the higher course. The pupils study the AQA GCSE Mathematics course; past papers and other revision materials are available to the pupils on the AQA website.

Throughout the two year GCSE course the pupils are tested regularly; after each test the sets are looked at again and pupils may be moved between the classes. This means that a pupil that started year 10 in a foundation class may find they are moved to the higher class, giving them the chance to obtain a higher grade in the GCSE exam.

From September 2022 homework will be set using the online resource ‘Sparx’. Each week Sparx will set the pupils questions to complete, based on the scheme of work studied so far, and levelled appropriately from past performance. Pupils will complete the homework online; each homework should take up to one hour to complete fully; answers will be written in a homework book, which the pupils will keep at home. The Sparx website includes video tutorials which pupils can access to help them with the homework. The Sparx software will make random checks of the pupils answers written in their books and send weekly reports to both their teachers and parents via email.

After school revision is provided on a regular basis by the department; please speak to your child’s teacher to find out when particular sessions are being held. There is also a Saturday school which is available for invited students; the tutors for the school are all A-level maths students studying at Springwood High School.