“No employment can be managed without arithmetic, no mechanical invention without geometry.” 

– Benjamin Franklin

Intent

At The Horizon School we believe that Maths should be taught not just as an independent academic subject, but as a life skill and as a gateway to achievement in all subjects.

Mathematics and numeracy are the cornerstones of technological developments, future employability and fundamental in adult life.  The study of Numeracy and Mathematics at the Horizon School will empower students to become active members of society, giving them the tools and the skills to navigate not only the world of work but also their worlds outside work.

We strive to ensure that our students are placed on a Maths pathway that is truly reflective of their ability, setting challenging yet achievable targets that will set students on the right path for their return to mainstream school or their next stage of education, employment or training.

For many students at The Horizon School, limitations in their literacy & numeracy skills has an overwhelming impact on their ability to access a mainstream curriculum.  We, therefore, place great emphasis on these in all subject areas with targeted intervention being applied to some students.

Implementation 

On entry to The Horizon School, KS3 & KS4 students (Years 7-10) are placed on a Maths Pathway based on a combination of their Key Stage 2 SATS result, a baseline Maths test and information from their home school.

Bronze Pathway –  Emerging (Target GCSE Grade 1-3)

Silver Pathway –  Expected  (Target GCSE Grade 4-5)

Gold Pathway –  Exceeding    (Target GCSE Grade 6-7)

Platinum Pathway –  Excelling    (Target GCSE Grade 8-9)

Year 11’s at The Horizon School follow a condensed curriculum and are placed on a Pathway either  Access to Foundation (Grade 1-3), Foundation (Grade 4-5) or Higher (Grade 6+).  This curriculum is personalised, based on assessments and gaps in learning.

We follow a spiral Maths Curriculum, whereby students revisit the same topics or units across each year group.  Each topic/unit is broken down into small connected and structured objectives that increase in difficulty and help students to progress.  New learning has a relationship with old learning, providing the building blocks for progress at a personalised level for each student.

The subject content is delivered across six areas of study:

Qualifications

GCSE

Our KS4 students follow the Edexcel 9-1 course at a level appropriate to their ability, either the Foundation or Higher Tier.

The aims and objectives of this course are to ensure students;

• develop fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts
• acquire, select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems
• reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions
• comprehend, interpret and communicate mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context.

 Impact

Our aim is to encourage pupils to develop confidence in, and a positive attitude towards, mathematics and to recognise the importance of mathematics in their own lives and to society.

In Maths our vision is to ensure every pupil feels supported and confident to achieve their maximum potential as we lay the foundations in algebra, number, geometry and data handling for all students to be able to access a GCSE at KS4. As part of our induction and reintegration process we also aim to fill missing gaps in knowledge which may hinder progress for successful reintegration in to mainstream school or their success in their next steps of education or work.  

GCSE Statistics

“All statistics have outliers.”
― Nenia Campbell

We teach statistics at  The Horizon school in order to encourage students to be curious about the world in which they live.

Statistics are everywhere – from COVID to I’m a Celebrity,

The way these numbers are presented – or manipulated – shape our understanding of the world. It’s important to equip our students with the skills to understand and interrogate figures so they can work out what they really mean.

Our KS4 students follow the Edexcel 9-1 course at a level appropriate to their ability, either the Foundation or Higher Tier.

The aims and objectives of this qualification are to enable students to develop statistical fluency and understanding through:

• the use of statistical techniques in a variety of authentic investigations
• identifying trends through carrying out appropriate calculations and data visualisation techniques
• the application of statistical techniques across the curriculum and outside the classroom in the world in general
• critically evaluating data, calculations and evaluations that would be commonly encountered in their studies and in everyday life
• understanding how technology has enabled the collection, visualisation and analysis of large quantities of data to inform decision-making processes in public, commercial and academic sectors.
• understand ways that data can be organised, processed and presented, including statistical measures to compare data, understanding the advantages of using technology to automate processing
• applying appropriate mathematical and statistical formulae, and building on prior knowledge.

A qualification in statistics can lead to many careers. These include:

• Business Analyst
• Data Scientist
• Engineer
• Market researcher
• Meteorologist

Functional Skills

As well as a GCSE, our KS4 students work towards an Edexcel functional skills qualification in Maths at a level appropriate to their ability, either Entry Level, Level 1 or Level 2.

Assessment

Regular assessment throughout the year informs staff and students of progress and attainment. Students are increasingly aware of strengths and weaknesses, and are able to address these in class and at home using Corbett Maths and Maths Genie.

Careers

This subject is related to the following careers and could lead to a pathway in mathematical careers such as accountant, maths teacher or banking. There are many other interesting career paths that involve studying mathematics and/or going on to work in a job where mathematics plays a substantial role.

Architect, Statistical Consultant, Computer Games Developer, Music Software Engineer, Researcher, Data Analyst, Builder, Tradesmen, Designer, Engineer, Landscape Gardener, Doctor, Nurse, Pilot Scientist. 

There are also many jobs that need a basic level of mathematical ability and confidence, and in practically every job, success and promotion come more easily to the mathematically able.

Waiter/Waitress, Supermarket Cashier,

Spiritual

Developing deep thinking and questioning the way in which the world works promotes the spiritual growth of our students.

We are sensitive to students’ individual needs and backgrounds and experience, with the aim to give all students an appreciation of the richness and power of maths. Maths in Nature is embedded in Sequences, Patterns and Symmetry in Key Stage 3.

We promote a sense of wonder in the exactness of mathematics in the exploration of infinity, pi, complex numbers and real world examples, whilst encouraging the students to appreciate the enormity of the world of Mathematics as it has developed through time.

Moral

Within the classroom, we encourage respect, reward good behaviour. We value listening to others views and opinions on problem solving.

We promote discussion about mathematical understanding and challenge assumptions, supporting students to question information and data that they are presented with.

We show the students that we are on a quest for truth by rigorous and logical argument and discourage jumping to conclusions.

We explore and evaluate the use of Statistics to inform or mislead in our current data obsessed society.

Percentage work across Key Stage 3 and 4 is clearly linked to current financial topics such as loans, debts and investment returns.

Social

In classrooms, we look for opportunities for pupils to promote self-esteem and build self-confidence.

We encourage collaborative learning in the classroom – in the form of listening and learning from each other and paired discussion / working partners.

We help pupils develop their mathematical voice and powers of logic and reasoning by offering explanations to each other.

We exhibit pupils work in maths classrooms – to share their good practice and celebrate achievement through creating informative displays.

Cultural

We share the appreciation with the pupils that mathematics, its language and symbols have developed from many different cultures around the world: eg Egyptian, Indian, Islamic, Greek and Russian roots.

We look to make explicit reference to Mathematicians contribution to progression of the subject as we teach topics throughout our Schemes of Work.

We investigate and research cross cultural patterns – tessellation, Islamic tiling.

We demonstrate and encourage diverse techniques eg for multiplication that have derived from different ancient civilisations. – Russian / Chinese multiplication, Napier’s Bones etc.