Mathematics
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There are seven full-time and three part-time teachers in the mathematics department.
- Mr David Daniels (Head of Department)
- Mr Robert Smith
- Mrs Clare Bigg
- Dr Lilian Blaxill
- Mr Martin Thurston
- Mr Paul Baker
- Mr Stuart Graveston
- Mrs Barbara Martin
- Mr Edward Wiseman
- Mr Mark Shields
- Miss Kirsten van Ryneveld
Aims and Philosophy
Our aims are:
- To make mathematics an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for all pupils.
- To give every pupil a firm foundation of knowledge for further study.
- To help develop a positive attitude to the subject and to give pupils increased confidence.
The Department and Syllabus
In years 7,8,9 and 11, pupils receive 8 periods of mathematics per fortnight, whilst in Year 10 they have 9 periods per fortnight. About 50 of our pupils take IGCSE mathematics a year early, in Year 10. These pupils then take a one year course in Additional Maths, in Year 11. With the exception of Further Mathematics, all A Level pupils have 2 teachers: one for Pure components, and one for the Applied components. Further Mathematicians have 3 separate teachers for each of the subject areas: Pure, Mechanics and Statistics.
Syllabuses: In June 2005, we entered our first students for the International GCSE (syllabus code 4400) and all GCSE classes are now entered for this examination. The Additional Mathematics syllabus is OCR 6993. A range of courses are offered at A level and students may follow AS, A level, AS Further, and Further Mathematics. The A level syllabus is modular with 3 components to AS, 6 to A level, 9 to AS Further, or 12 to Further Mathematics.
In addition to the standard A level classes, the department provides tuition for pupils who are applying to either Oxford or Cambridge and who may have to take a test or S.T.E.P. papers. In the Sixth Form, pupils studying A level Mathematics have 14 periods per fortnight, whilst those studying AS Further or Further Mathematics have 17 and 24 periods per fortnight respectively.
All pupils applying to the school at 11 or 13 take a 45 minute or one hour mathematics paper.
The department, which has a well-equipped library with a wide range of books and has a good record of success in national mathematics competitions. We enter about 50 pupils for the United Kingdom Senior Mathematical Challenge (UKSMC) in November, all of Year 9 for the junior UKSMC in February and all of our Year 7 pupils for the Junior maths challenge, in April.
Mr David Daniels
Head of Mathematics