Our aim as a department is to play our part in enabling all students at Cheney School both to fulfil their potential and to make a positive contribution to society, through developing their mathematical understanding and thinking.

This aim is based on the principle that all students have the ability to make progress in and enjoy mathematics.  This informs our practice and underpins our approach to teaching and learning.

The Mathematics teachers at Cheney School aim to:
  • Encourage all students to enjoy mathematics and to develop positive attitudes towards it;
  • Encourage all students to develop fluency in mathematical skills and to become confident in their ability to deal with mathematics both inside and outside the classroom;
  • Enable all students to see the importance of developing their mathematical skills;
  • Enable all students to take part in a variety of mathematical activities;
  • Enable all students to develop some understanding and appreciation of the beauty and structure of mathematics;
  • Enable all students to apply mathematical methods to solving problems;
  • Empower all students to tackle mathematical challenges with confidence;
  • Encourage all students to develop autonomy and powers of self-evaluation;
  • Encourage all students to work co-operatively;
  • Encourage all students to read, write and talk about mathematics.

We believe that it is important to enable students to have opportunities for mathematical enrichment.  In recent years, students have had the opportunity to go on cross-curricular trips, including visits to the Ashmolean Museum (where they investigated the mathematics of perspective), the Oxford Museum of Natural History, and Bletchley Park.  A number of our sixth form students have been given the opportunity to go to Mathematics lectures run by Oxford University.

Within school, we enter students from 11-18 in the UKMT Mathematics Challenges.

KEY STAGE THREE

At Key Stage Three, Cheney students study a range of 10 topics each year building their skills on number, algebra, geometry, measures, statistics, probability and ratio and proportion.  We focus on students developing fluency in mathematical methods, as well as mathematical reasoning and problem solving.  Students are assessed regularly throughout the year by their teachers, with three main summative assessments per year. 

KEY STAGE FOUR

At Key Stage Four, all Cheney students study for a GCSE in Mathematics.  The GCSE course covers a range of Number, Algebra, Geometry, Ratio and Proportion, Statistics and Probability topics.  The GCSE is assessed at Higher and Foundation level at the end of Year 11.  Currently, we enter students in Mathematics using the Edexcel examination board.

Within school, we assess students throughout Year 10 and 11, and students sit mock examinations at the end of year 10 and in October and March of Year 11, to help them to be prepared for the final GCSE examinations.

KEY STAGE FIVE

In Key Stage Five, we offer A-Level Mathematics and A-Level Further Mathematics.  All A-Level students study a number of core mathematics modules, which contain Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Numerical methods and Vectors.  Students will also take applied modules in Mechanics and Statistics.  Currently, we enter students in A-level Mathematics using the OCR examination board.

Sixth Form - Wider Reading and Discovery Lists for A-Level Subjects Mathematics and Further Mathematics

 

HOMEWORK 

We believe in supporting all students in the consolidation of concepts covered not just in class but also to recap precious skills and helping to keep them fresh in their minds. 

In Key Stage Three, students will receive homework online on Dr Frost, which allows them to complete questions online and watch videos on the topic to support their learning.

In Key Stage 4 and 5, students will receive exam questions on a double sided A3 paper to get students used to the style of exam questions. Students may not have covered concepts in the homework but are encouraged to research concepts independently. 

Each week, a lesson is dedicated to going through students homework in order to go through the correct method and process steps. We believe that by getting students engaged with the method steps at an early stage will support them in the progress they will be making going forward. 

Homework is set and due on the same day each week:

Year Group Set date Due Date
7 Wednesday Wednesday
8 Wednesday Wednesday
9 Thursday Thursday
10 Friday Friday
11 Friday Friday

KS5 homework is set according to the timetabled sessions by class teachers each week. 

HOW TO SUPPORT AT HOME

Students are encouraged to research areas of difficulties at home, ask teachers for help and also discuss with one another. Useful websites that may help students at home: 

KS3

At Cheney we encourage our students to complete home learning to ensure that they keep up with the work they are studying in the class. Students can use the following websites:

https://www.drfrostmaths.com/

https://corbettmaths.com/

For students wanting to challenge themselves they can use the following websites:

http://www.puzzleoftheweek.com/

https://parallel.org.uk/

KS4

https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/

https://www.drfrostmaths.com/

https://www.onmaths.com/

https://www.mathedup.co.uk/

https://www.examsolutions.net/gcse-maths/

http://tiny.cc/cheneyseneca

KS5

In the 6th Form we encourage students to work independently and complete at least  1 hour of home learning for each hour of teaching, to ensure that they keep up with the work they are studying in the class. 

GCSE Resit students can use the following websites:

https://www.drfrostmaths.com/

https://corbettmaths.com/

https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/

https://online.justmaths.co.uk/ ( Username : CheneyStudent Password : Cheney)

Year 12 & 13 students can use the following websites:

https://corbettmaths.com/

https://elevate.cambridge.org/ (username and login required)

https://www.drfrostmaths.com/    (for Maths and Further Maths)

https://integralmaths.org/  (login required - Maths and Further Maths)

Past paper practice and Questions by topic:

https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/maths-revision/ (Maths and Further Maths)