The Mathematics department at Denton Community College are an enthusiastic and talented team who strive to create deep knowledge and understanding of mathematics by facilitating our students’ learning in an enjoyable and challenging way.

All pupils undertake four lessons of Maths and receive two homework tasks each week. One online topic based homework using MathsWatch and a paper homework for students to revise their key skills. The pupils are placed into ability groups on entry in Year 7 and these groups are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that pupils are in the group that best caters for their needs.

The Year 7 and 8 pupils follow a bespoke curriculum that focuses on our students developing depth of knowledge and understanding, allowing them time to master their learning. They are formally assessed each half term. Assessments are tailored towards GCSE style questions to best prepare them for their future examinations. Following the assessments, students receive personalised feedback to highlight their areas of strength and what they need to work on to improve. The assessment data is monitored closely to ensure that students are set challenging targets and emphasis is made towards on making as much progress as possible.

Although our students’ learning is relevant to their GCSEs from joining us in Year 7, this becomes more prevalent when they move up to the Key Stage 4 curriculum in Year 9. Students are assessed regularly and the curriculum is designed in modules that allow students to make strong connections between different mathematical concepts and their existing knowledge to deepen their understanding further.

The curriculum is uniquely designed by ourselves to meet the needs of our students in both Key Stages 3 and 4. This is heavily differentiated to ensure that students are appropriately stretched and their thinking challenged no matter their ability. Students are taught how to take responsibility for their own learning and how this promotes good progress. Our assessment and revision practises teach our students how to revise, the importance of regular revision on their progress, resilience and perseverance when working towards their individual goals.

Year 11 students follow a revision based curriculum which is created to ensure that students can apply their knowledge in various contexts, interpret problems effectively and make links to be prepared for new 1 to 9 GCSE. Students sit either foundation or higher tier papers, both tiers allow students to achieve a grade 5 strong pass.  Students study the Edexcel GCSE specification.

Intervention is in place in all year groups with our experienced Higher Level Teaching Assistant who is a maths specialist working with students in Years 7 and 8, providing extra support to students who are struggling and help them make progress. In Key Stage 4, students who require extra support may be given the opportunity to work with a member of our maths team in their core PE time to boost their progress working towards their final exams.