Vision
The Maths Department at Rivers Academy develops in students clarity of thought, competent numerical reasoning, problem solving confidence and deep mathematical understanding, giving them the tools to succeed in maths and other disciplines, in school and beyond.
Intent
In pursuit of this vision, it is a priority for us to ensure every lesson is challenging yet supportive, and rigorous yet stimulating. We ensure that students are safe then push them to have a sense of self-assuredness and confidence in the classroom. This breaks down unhelpful fixed mindset perceptions of maths as a subject and allows pupils to see the benefits that maths brings them in various disciplines. Our intent is to instil in students the practical skills that are transferable to all workplaces or further study, such as communicating mathematically, logical thinking and applying knowledge to unfamiliar situations.
Our students follow the National Curriculum through KS3, KS4 and KS5, focusing throughout on learning more than the basic knowledge required to engage with the content. We endeavour to develop the reasoning and problem solving that marks a strong mathematician.
Implementation
At KS3 and KS4 we confidently employ the structure and assessment provided by White Rose Maths. This team of subject specialists have created a well-considered, spiralled curriculum, that allows us to stimulate interest and draw out misconceptions, and gives us important opportunities to avoid simple surface understanding.
Our shared approach to planning means that our subject expertise is pooled, ensuring we take advantage of opportunities in each lesson to deepen understanding. We are clear with students that mistakes are expected, and we value the effort they put in to correct these. Group or pair talk-tasks and reflective writing ensure we are able to assess effectively the learning that is taking place. Our lessons are planned considering key pedagogical elements, like concrete examples and representations, retrieval practice and interleaving. This all leads to confident problem solving and broad topic knowledge, ensuring the best chances for success at GCSE.
In Years 12 and 13 we follow the robust systems and resources developed by the Edexcel exam board. These guarantee the need for complex problem solving and the employment of a sound grasp of mathematical concepts and processes. At Key Stage 5, our attention shifts to ensuring students are supported to achieve what they need to access the university of their choice through outstanding results at A Level.
Mathematics CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Mathematics AGE RELATED EXPECTATIONS
Mathematics ASSESSMENT JOURNEY
Impact
At all stages of curriculum progression, careful mapping of topics gives us confidence in the foundations of knowledge and understanding when teaching new content. We are proud of the work we do in progressing through the curriculum content cyclically to allow for this. Each year students remember more, understand more, and are more confident in their mathematical ability.
Our results show a steady upward trajectory and each year our results show our students to be more successful, and confident, ensuring that they leave Rivers Academy as capable mathematicians.