“Mathematics is an exciting subject that can open a range of opportunities for students. It allows them to develop critical, analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills; all of which are needed to function in an ever-changing society.”

KS4 Specification

Edexcel GCSE Mathematics.

National Curriculum

Gladesmore Community School prides ourselves on delivering the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

Mathematics is an exciting subject that can open a range of opportunities for students. It allows them to develop critical, analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills; all of which are needed to function in an ever-changing society. Mathematics underpins other subjects such as Science and Design and Technology, and runs discreetly through others.

At Gladesmore, Mathematics supports the school’s vision by reviewing, developing and delivering a curriculum which offers excellent quality of education to all pupils. As a faculty, the school’s REACH values are vital and are embedded in our lessons. We promote dialogue in the classroom and every student is encouraged to respect and value each other’s opinions. 

The Mathematics faculty use Maths Mastery at Key Stage 3 to ensure students develop a deep and thorough understanding of mathematical concepts.  This approach focusses on building a strong foundation of mathematical skills and knowledge before advancing to more complex topics.  By emphasising mastery, students are encouraged to fully grasp each topic, reducing the need for extensive re-teaching in later years. It also promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Our curriculum is designed to foster student autonomy via a range of strategies, such as home learning, online interactive learning platforms, and the making and using of their own revision materials.

At KS4, we build upon our KS3 curriculum through our spiral learning approach.  In this way, we revisit, extend and build on our students’ prior learning, allowing students to make connections between concepts and to apply the required mathematical processes to solve complex problems. Our students are offered different pathways at KS4 to ensure that they are challenged and given the opportunity to make progress. As students then progress and become confident Mathematics learners, we seek to ensure they will be able to routinely transfer their learnt skills to other subjects.

In order to enhance the KS4 Mathematics curriculum at Gladesmore, we provide opportunities for students to study Further Mathematics and GCSE Statistics; such offers provide an excellent footing for those who want to pursue Mathematics at KS5.  To further foster a love and appreciation for the subject, we encourage our students to participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities such as the UKMT and Count on Us Maths Challenges. These challenges allow our students to meet and compete with students from different socio-economic backgrounds and these positive experiences, in turn, allow our students to become more confident mathematicians.

Fundamentally, as a faculty, our intent is to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all students, enabling progress at all stages with a strong emphasis on stretching and challenge. Through our curriculum, students acquire a range of techniques that they can apply to a variety of situations so as to be able to solve problems within different contexts.  Whichever pathway students choose to take beyond KS4, through Mathematics at Gladesmore, they gather the knowledge, skills and qualifications to improve their ability to solve real life problems and to be able to think critically - skills which are central to improving the quality of their lives. 

Curriculum Summary