At Moorside High our intent is that every student leaves school with the mathematical confidence they need to face future challenges, whether that be pursuing the subject at a higher level or in their chosen career. We have high expectations and therefore aim to inspire students to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be, deepening their knowledge, skills and understanding to maximise their GCSE grades and enable them to fully realise their potential. Our objective is to promote an encouraging and resilient culture where students are safe to take risks, whilst they explore their mathematical curiosities and find enjoyment in a challenging discipline. We want students to share our vision of the beauty of mathematics, how it has led to some of the greatest historical human discoveries and achievements. Furthermore, how innovative mathematicians will be vital in facing and providing solutions to future challenges.

The content of the curriculum is composed of the following elements: Number, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics and Probability. These elements will be investigated with growing complexity as students move through their mathematical journey. Throughout the curriculum, carefully sequenced ‘small step’ learning objectives will guide learners to make important mathematical connections whilst cumulatively building their knowledge. A focus will be placed on building a deep understanding of concepts before being moved through content.

The aims of the national curriculum for mathematics is to ensure that all pupils:

• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.

These skills acquired when learning mathematics will improve the cognitive competence of students and enhance their life chances. It is crucial to everyday life, essential to the humanities, critical for the sciences, vital for engineering and technology and plays a substantial role in most forms of employment. It is for this reason we wish to instil a passion for mathematics in our students, with the intention to help them ‘open doors’ to their next life chapter. 

Our Mathematics curriculum is designed to build a strong foundational mathematical knowledge at Key Stage 3, building on prior knowledge acquired at Key Stage 2. Students follow a scheme of learning which provides an ambitious, connected curriculum accessible to all pupils. We strive to secure the core aspects of mathematics; building mathematicians who are confident, fluent and flexible in the way they encounter and explore mathematical concepts. Students will be supported and encouraged to develop a deeper, relational understanding of mathematical knowledge to equip them with the skills required to fully engage with curriculum content.

At Key Stage 4 our aim is to further build on the strong mathematical schema developed in Key Stage 3. In Key Stage 4 students will continue to develop deep mathematical threads though more complex topics, using their strong foundational understanding from Key Stage 3.

Mathematics is an all-encompassing and interconnected discipline, with strong cross curricular links to the broader school environment. A good mathematical foundation is essential to gain access to the knowledge required in most other subjects. There are the obvious links to computing, science, technology and the humanities but also strong associations to less obvious disciplines like physical education, art and music. These links will be made explicit to students to see a reason why mathematics carries the importance it does.    

To supplement learning in lessons our aim is to shape the metacognition of students through constant retrieval activities. These activities will aid students in identifying and rectifying gaps in their knowledge, through independent learning on Hegarty maths. This is accompanied by whole class homework and feedback set by highly-trained maths teachers. Students will be assessed at the end of each topic, teachers will then identify whole class and individual areas for improvement. There will also be end of term assessments which will again provide teachers with a clear picture of where students are and how to progress. Misconceptions will be addressed and revisited through various retrieval activities. Within lessons diagnostic questioning will be used to provide instant feedback of the learning taking place and check for understanding.

Curriculum Overview

Revision Resources 

 Topic Mind Maps: