Mathematics at Fulford School
Realising Potential, Creating the Mathematicians of the Future
The team of mathematics teachers at Fulford School strive to develop pupils who are inquisitive and who accept and tackle the challenges put before them. We hope that they are confident that they have the necessary mathematical skills to be able to produce a clear solution to problems that they may meet both in the maths classroom and in real life.
Staff
The mathematics department at Fulford School comprises a team of 9 full time and 3 part time members of staff. In addition to this we are lucky enough to have a Higher Level Teaching Assistant attached to the department on a full time basis. All staff are given the opportunity of teaching at A level.
Key stage 3
The ideas from the National Strategy are followed closely in Key Stage 3 with a variety of different resources available for use. Each module in Year 7 and 8 contains a compulsory task which is designed to ensure students have opportunities to focus on specific PLTS in lessons. Group work and kinaesthetic activities are regularly incorporated into lessons. Resources and support material are available to teaching staff, students and parents through the VLE. In year 7 students are grouped into sets based on their Key Stage 2 results and have four hour long maths lessons each week. In years 8 and 9 the students receive three hour long lessons each week.
We are also developing a range of activities that are incorporated into the curriculum with events such as a Product Design day, a Maths Trail around York and a History of Maths day being delivered in the last year.
Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4 students follow the Edexcel Linear course. Results are significantly above National average and consistently above the school trend. From June 2008 all pupils have sat GCSE Mathematics at the end of year 10. Then in year 11 they have had the opportunity to choose from a range of options that are more suited to their intended career or courses of study post 16. Options that are offered have included GCSE Statistics, Free Standing Maths Qualifications or, for those who feel it is appropriate, the opportunity to resit GCSE mathematics. Schemes of work are being rewritten in order to prepare students for the demands of the new GCSE specification from September 2010.
The department has ensured that plenty of support material is available to students through the VLE.
Key Stage 5
In the sixth form there is a good uptake and many of our students go onto study mathematics degrees (or degrees with a significant mathematical content) at University. We offer two options at A level and students have to choose to study either a Mechanics or Statistics option. Currently students have to take three modules in each year, the first one being examined in January of Year 12. Students will be taught by two different teachers during the year. There is also the opportunity for students to take Further Mathematics and in recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of students choosing this option. From September 2007 we have been able to offer an AS Further Mathematics course in year 13.
Extra Curricular
The department has a range of extra curricular activities on offer. Every year a large number of students are given the opportunity to take part in the UKMT National Challenges and we also take part in the Team Challenge events. In three of the last four years our Junior team has managed to reach the National finals of this event which has given them the chance to compete against the best mathematicians in the country.
Students also take part in the Cipher challenge competition and the Edge Hill challenge events each year with staff providing support for these at lunchtimes and afterschool.
Over the last few years the department has managed to involve students in a variety of fundraising activities. These have included Mathematical Treasure hunts and Sponsored Sums which have in total raised nearly £8000.