KS4

KS4 means the start of GCSE topics for all groups in Year 10. Students will have 7 lessons a fortnight and follow the Edexcel GCSE scheme of work as this is the external exam board we use for their formal exams at the end of Year 11. Students will be entered for the higher or foundation tier based on their own ability to ensure that everyone is working at a level that is most appropriate for them.

Literacy and Communication

At GCSE more than ever it is essential that students can effectively communicate their ideas using correct mathematical terminology. Due to this we continue to emphasise the importance of key words and phrases in lessons and spend time on students practising questions that require some written explanation as part of their answer. Students will also be given a separate book for notes in maths lessons in Year 10 and Year 11. These are to be used to keep neat versions of notes and definitions to allow students to come back and revise from their class notes with more ease than having to look through their normal exercise books. Teachers will direct students on what to record in their notebooks to ensure that these are kept neat and accurate to aid more efficient revision of key words and phrases.

Monitoring Progress

In Year 10, there will be termly assessments based on recent topics that we have covered in lessons. These will be used to identify gaps in learning or misconceptions which class teachers will then address. In Year 11 students will move away from these more frequent formal assessments and instead they will complete two lots of mock assessments in November and then in March, as well as fortnightly practice papers. The results of these will help us to tailor the topics we are covering in class to the areas students are struggling with the most to enable them to make as much progress as possible at this crucial time.

Homework

In Year 10 students will be set online Sparx homework every week. Sparx is an interactive platform that tailors homework to a student’s level and speed of working to aim to give everyone work that will be suitable for their age and ability. This will always cover topics that have been recently learnt in lessons with a proportion also dedicated to previous topics to ensure that key ideas are being constantly reviewed and recalled. Teachers are then able to view the class’s progress and use questions generated by Sparx to ensure that any misconceptions identified through this homework are addressed.

In Year 11, students will be set a practice paper every other week which they will then review in lessons to ensure they understand how to answer exam questions and review topics fully and correctly from the GCSE specification. In the alternate weeks, they will be set Sparx homework to review the topics being covered in lessons.

SoW Overviews

All KS4 students will follow the Edexcel GCSE 2-year scheme of work. This covers all the content from the GCSE specification and allows time for review and revision of necessary topics. Some groups will move at different paces through these schemes, but the order of the topics will be the same for everyone.

Higher Scheme of work Overview:

Foundation Scheme of work Overview:

Equipment

We recommend that students use a Casio scientific calculator fx-83GT CW (battery powered) or fx-85GT CW (solar powered) for KS4 as they have several functions and tools that are useful in the two calculator papers sat at GCSE. In addition to a scientific calculator, we also recommend that students bring a ruler, pencil, pair of compasses and a protractor to every lesson to ensure they are prepared for all aspects of maths. This is also the mathematical equipment they will be required to bring to each of their exams.