The Commonweal School

Mathematics

Department Ethos:-
Maths Challenge The Mathematics Faculty believes that all students are of equal worth and this belief is reflected in a caring approach from staff. Students are provided with a stable and ordered environment in which to learn. Staff encourage the development of an independent and enquiring mind.

At Key Stage 3 we build on the foundations laid by the primary schools with the National Numeracy Strategy. We try to ensure that students have a firm grasp of the ‘basics’. As far as possible we try to emphasise the relationship between Mathematics and the world around us. At the same time we aim to encourage an interest in the subject for its own sake. We try to ensure that students develop a methodical yet flexible approach to investigational work. We aim to provide a challenge for all our students within a variety of learning experiences.

Supporting the school’s specialism:-
At first glance it is difficult to see how a subject like Mathematics can support the Performing Arts. However, we do encourage all students to be ‘public speakers’, either in discussing their answers with their neighbours or coming out to the front of the class to go over their answers on the board. By explaining their answers to others students can gain a deeper understanding themselves. We are investigating the possibility of aiding visual learners through the medium of dance.

Links to outside agencies:-
The Faculty has links with other schools in the area through Subject Leaders’ Meetings arranged by the Maths Consultant.

The Faculty has strong links with the Maths Department at New College, Swindon and works closely with them on the AS-Level Maths Course which is followed by our ‘Fast Track’ students who take their GCSE a year early.

The Faculty is responsible for spreading ‘Numeracy across the Curriculum’. The aim is simply that all Mathematics topics are taught in a consistent way across the school, e.g. carrying out surveys, dealing with percentages, interpreting pie-charts etc. Each term a maths teacher visits another faculty to promote a particular topic.

The Faculty has strong links with the Humanities Faculty. In Year 7 there is a Maths / History trip to South Wales to visit Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey. In Year 9 there is a Maths / Geography field trip to the River Cole.

The Faculty also runs a Year 8 trip to Techniquest in Cardiff. In Year 9 there is a half-day visit to the BMW plant at Stratton to give all students a taste of the world of work.

Department successes:-
For the most able students there is the opportunity to take part in National Competitions. In Years 7 and 8 the students in the top two Maths sets take the Junior Maths Challenge. In Years 9 and 10 students take the Intermediate Maths Challenge. A group of about 12 students take the Senior Maths Challenge. This latter competition is aimed at 6th formers and bright Year 11 students. However, we have a squad of students aged from 11-16 who take part with some success.

The school entered the UK Team Challenge this year for the first time. The team of 4 students must be selected from Years 7, 8 and 9 with no more than 2 students from Year 9. In April we went to Wootton Bassett for the regional round which we managed to win. We were then invited to take part in the National Finals in London in July. Out of 59 schools taking part, all regional winners, we came a very creditable 9 th, which surpassed our wildest expectations !

Our Key Stage 3 results this year were very good; almost equalling our best ever results in 2006.

Our GCSE results this year were the best we have ever had with boys outperforming the girls at
all levels.

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