Curriculum

Mathematics

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Summary

The Mathematics Key Stage 3 curriculum promotes and emphasises the need for ‘mathematical fluency’ in key skills for success at GCSE and beyond. What we mean by mathematical fluency is to expand our students’ capability to retain knowledge in their long term memory in order for them to be able to apply these skills to more in-depth, complex questions at GCSE. In Maths, pupils will be far better equipped to apply mathematical thinking to a problem if their working memory isn’t overloaded with basic calculations. Therefore, our curriculum always emphasises secure content knowledge before moving onto problem solving tasks. This is a step away from discovery-based learning and acknowledges the gap between teachers as experts and pupils as novices, with the key point being that we can’t expect pupils to show mathematical expertise until they have acquired fluency with numbers.

Students build their fluency in the 5 key areas of mathematics:

Number: place value, calculations, prime factorisation, factors and multiples, fractions and decimals

Algebra: manipulating expressions, solving equations, sequences, coordinates and basic graphs

Geometry: 2D shapes: properties, area, perimeter, circles and the introduction of ‘pi’; 3D shapes: volume, surface area; angle reasoning; converting units of measurement

Proportion: Fractions and percentages of amounts, ratio, proportional reasoning

Statistics: Types of averages, representing and interpreting data, two way tables, Venn diagrams

Nucleus Gifted STEM Stream work to an accelerated curriculum. There are opportunities for all students to deepen their knowledge at all times. We aim to develop student’s character by exposing them to ‘high challenge, high support’ lessons which mean that they have to show a true determination to succeed at all times.

Students are regularly tested using mini-KPI assessments and are given practise versions of these assessments to complete at home in order to support their preparation. We use the online platform www.hegartymaths.com for homework and to allow students to independently study further if they so wish. If students are unsuccessful in assessments then they are directed to use the tutorial videos on HegartyMaths to ensure that they become fluent in the concepts that they did not understand in the assessment.

Extra-Curricular activities such as the Junior Maths Challenge give students the chance to compete at a national level in mathematics.