Maths | Bourne Community College

Curriculum Intent

Our aspiration is to enable every pupil to fulfil their mathematical potential during their journey through Bourne Community College.

The vision of the department is to motivate every pupil to achieve their best mathematical outcome and embrace the challenge of becoming a mathematician on the journey.

Open Evening Flyer

Aims and Implementation

Inspirational Teaching and Learning is our aim, and all activities in the department should reflect this. The Maths team are continually striving to improve their teaching skills, through Continual Professional Development, sharing good practice and using opportunities available for team planning/ teaching/ reviewing. The department believes that a broad, balanced, rigorous and challenging curriculum is the best way to ensure that the pupils at Bourne receive the best mathematical education.

Our students’ journey is a five year one, we follow the National Curriculum, starting systematic GCSE coverage in year 9. Learning follows a spiral model, with areas of Maths revisited several times a year, allowing interleaving across topics. In years 7 and 8 our scheme of work is split into 3 broad ability bands. From year 9, students will be taught in Higher or Foundation groups. Some students will learn to apply all skills to grade 9, some will learn most Higher skills and apply all Foundation skills, others will learn all Foundation skills and apply some.

Higher tier students aiming for the higher grades at GCSE are given the opportunity to study for Level 3 OCR Free Standing Additional Maths Qualification, this allows more able students to be challenged and stretched, whilst preparing them for the next stage in their mathematical education. A few students prepare for the Entry Level Certificates when GCSE is not appropriate.

Additionally, for students who we identify will struggle to access the GCSE curriculum we offer a bespoke curriculum which first guides students through an entry level qualification in maths before gradually reintegrating their learning towards the Foundation GCSE curriculum.

The Maths department believes achievement is best supported through strict but flexible setting, with lower groups having fewer students and more support. Movement between sets follows regular topic testing from year 9 and “away from the point of learning” assessments in all years. Groups of students within or across sets are also periodically identified as requiring extra specialist input and receive intervention support.

Learning Journey

Our learning journeys give a visual overview of the curriculum content covered in each subject. They will help you understand how students make progress in different topics over the years they are with us.

Year 7 Learning Journey

Year 8 Learning Journey

Year 9 Foundation Learning Journey

Year 9 Higher Learning Journey

Year 10 Foundation Learning Journey

Year 10 Higher Learning Journey

Year 11 Foundation Learning Journey

Year 11 Higher Learning Journey

Key Stage 3 Overview

The Maths Department follows the National Curriculum:

Algebra (patterns, sequences and equations etc.,)
Number (arithmetic, mental Maths etc.,)
Ratio and Proportion (fractions, percentages etc.,)
Shape and Space (angles, polygons and constructions etc.,)
Data handling (averages, charts and probability etc.)

Our students are, however, encouraged to make connections between all areas and to see mathematics as a tool to describe, then find solutions to problems. A scheme of work designed for pace and rigour is used to ensure that the pupils at Bourne receive the most balanced and challenging curriculum. We aim for lessons incorporating mental Maths and opportunities for using and applying Maths, with a frequent focus on problem solving. Regular assessment points allow our students the opportunity to revise, a skill which is explicitly taught.

Homework is set every week on Sparx maths and is mandatory. We know the impact that regular homework can have on progress and confidence within maths. Sparx maths uses AI features to deliver homework tasks at the correct level for students giving them further practice on topics they struggle with, each question has a specific video to support with learning. We offer a Sparx maths homework club after school every week for students who need the support from a teacher or access to computers.

Key Stage 4 Overview

The KS4 programme covers the same broad areas as KS3, taking understanding to a deeper and sometimes more functional level. Students are taught to develop their knowledge until it is secure and then pushed on to master those topics, enabling to reach for the highest grade they are capable of.

We subscribe to an online textbook, which enables students and parents to view the books that the students use in class and includes links to worked examples and on-line tutorials. This can be accessed through Kerboodle for which students have a password.

There are frequent assessments which students are encouraged to revise for. This ensures that skills are secure before moving on in the syllabus.

Homework is set every week and supported as for KS3.

All students are entered for Maths GCSE at either foundation or higher level. Foundation allows grades 1 to 5, and higher 4 to 9.

We prepare our students for the Linear AQA GCSE (8300 series), which they sit in year 11. It is assessed through three terminal exams.

In addition to Maths GCSE, more able mathematicians will be given an opportunity to sit an additional GCSE in statistics. Some students in year 11 commit to extra-curricular lessons to follow the OCR additional Maths programme, a great stepping-stone to post 16 A-level Maths.

Key Words

We aim to support students in their literacy across all curriculum subjects. We provide key word lists as a teaching and learning tool to support student understanding of the technical vocabulary needed to articulate their learning about a particular subject.

Maths Key Words