Our Intent

The overarching intent of our curriculum is to develop our students as mathematicians. We do this by:

  • Planning a coherent curriculum; everything is taught for a reason and will facilitate both the current and a future topic. It is based on the principles of mastery including fewer topics in greater depth in order to develop proficiency with core content;
  • Ensuring that the curriculum documents the facts, concepts, methods and strategies that make up the planned curriculum. These are curated and developed using academic research and best practice;
  • Planning the curriculum in order to make connections within and between the maths. This creates opportunities to link concepts, structures and so support fluency and deepen conceptual understanding; and
  • Providing opportunities to promote mathematical thinking and develop mathematical habits of mind are explicitly built into the curriculum in order to develop problem solving strategies. This based on the work of Professor John Mason and George Polya’s problem solving heuristics and is carefully introduced and developed through curriculum sequencing.

Our curriculum is a five-year programme, with mastery embedded as an underlying theme, to support the maths vision of creating a challenging and ambitious curriculum where students are encouraged to be resilient, aspirational and not afraid to make mistakes.

Mastery is at the heart of all decisions regarding the curriculum and is embedded throughout the 5-year programme. There is a full overarching learning journey with a clear and coherent learning sequence. Teaching mathematics for mastery involves the 5 ‘big ideas’ of representation and structure, fluency, mathematical thinking, variation and coherence. These link to the curriculum intent through an emphasis on mathematical connections, fluency, reasoning, problem solving, depth of procedural and conceptual understanding, high expectations and developing metacognition for all students.

Students are taught a range of mathematical themes relating to Number, Algebra, Proportion, Geometry, Probability and Statistics. Our curriculum is cumulative so that students continually build on their prior knowledge as they move up through the Academy and see the importance of the work they complete each lesson. The topics are sequenced to aid understanding and facilitate links to be made between these different areas. In mathematics we are well placed to develop character, and in particular the Learning Habits. We model metacognitive strategies and encourage students to use these to help them with their problem solving – always emphasising the importance of the process rather than the product. We have high expectations for all students and ensure they not only feel challenged but actively embrace it. This allows students to develop their resilience and grit, which will benefit them beyond their time at Tudor Grange, but also ensures that they make the most of regular formative assessment – driving their progress and instilling the importance of being open to feedback. Students are exposed to multiple methods including different representations and ways of working to support them with their learning and application of knowledge. We prompt the students to think mathematically, and provide continuous opportunities to discuss, debate, and refine their ideas so that they are also learning from each other and strengthening their understanding. We encourage aspiration beyond academic success by giving students the opportunity to take part in UKMT maths challenges, as well as attending STEM trips. When appropriate we ensure that we make links between the skills the students are developing and potential future careers. We equip students to solve mathematical problems through developing mathematical rigour, utilising multiple methods and representations, and by fostering the mathematical habits of mind. We challenge students to use their metacognition to independently re-evaluate what they are doing and ensure that they have the fluency, flexibility and confidence to switch between methods dependent on appropriateness at any one time. We encourage clarity and efficiency of communication so that students are also challenged to reflect on their work and develop it so that it is the best it can be.

Key Stage 3

Throughout KS3 students are exposed to a range of mathematical concepts which are sequenced to build on prior learning to move from evaluation to generalisation. Children are taught in mixed attainment groups in Years 7 and 8. In year 9 students are streamed into upper stream or lower stream classes.

Year 7

Year 7 Learning Journey – Autumn 1

Year 7 Learning Journey – Autumn 2

Year 7 Learning Journey – Spring 1

Year 7 Learning Journey – Spring 2

  • Generalised Arithmetic
  • Algebraic Expressions
  • Coordinate Geometry (and 2D shapes)
  • Structure of Number (Decimals and Place value)
  • Structure of Number (Fractions)
  • Probability

Year 8

Year 8 Learning Journey – Autumn 1

Year 8 Learning Journey – Autumn 2

Year 8 Learning Journey – Spring 1

Year 8 Learning Journey – Spring 2

  • Fractions as a Proportion and Percentages
  • Equations and Inequalities
  • Geometry
  • Ratio and Proportion
  • 3D Solids
  • Statistics

Year 9

Year 9 Learning Journey – Autumn 1

Year 9 Learning Journey – Autumn 2

Year 9 Learning Journey – Spring 1

Year 9 Learning Journey – Spring 2

  • Sequences and Straight-line Grpahs
  • Compound Measures, Estimation and Bounds
  • Algebraic Expressions and Simultaneous Equations
  • Circles and Constructions
  • Transformations and Similarity
  • Right-angled Triangles, Trigonometry and Pythagoras

Parents can find more information on specific topics covered each half term by looking at the Learning Journeys that are stuck into students’ books at the start of each half term.

Key Stage 4

Mathematics in Years 10 and 11 continues to build on Years 7, 8 and 9 but with an added focus on the terminal examinations. Children are now formally set to allow them to focus more on the tier of entry for their GCSE although formal decisions are not made until Christmas of Year 11.

Year 10

Year 11

  • Algebra
  • Statistics

Parents can find more information on specific topics covered each half term by looking at the Learning Journeys that are stuck into students’ books at the start of each half term.

We follow the Edexcel specification at GCSE. A comprehensive overview of the GCSE course curriculum can be accessed here: /files/2023/04/gcse-maths-2015-specification.pdf

Extra-Curricular Opportunities

The maths department aims to provide a variety of extra- curricular opportunities for students. This has previously included Fermat Club and poses challenging and interesting problems for the children which often come from areas outside of the curriculum. We also have a large number of students who take part in the UKMT individual and groups maths challenges, and we offer support to students to prepare for these. The department also runs the Academy’s chess club. We have taken groups of students to the University of Birmingham for their outreach days. In collaboration with the other STEM subjects, we offer a trip to the Big Bang Fair at the NEC.