Mathematics

 Curriculum Intent – Mathematics  

“Mathematics is, I believe, the chief source of the belief in eternal and exact truth, as well as a sensible and intelligible world.”- Bertrand Russell  

Powerful Knowledge

Mathematics at Leeds East will provide students with a robust and durable understanding of mathematical concepts that equip students with the skills to solve problems through strategy planning, and apply their knowledge in a variety of contexts, with intellectual confidence, as well as fostering students’ curiosity for the subject and the wider world.

Powerful knowledge in maths:

• Provides students with the functional skills they require to use their imagination and become well rounded, independent, citizens of society.
• Students will gain a deeper understand of mathematics beyond exam success, allowing paths to become available to a range of careers within the STEM family for example engineering and accountancy.
• Reasoning skills will be developed and refined to allow students to create and justify their own discoveries and conclusions within the subject and in wider contexts.
• Engagement in traditional and fundamental mathematical discoveries that have aided to explain, and better understand, the world we live in.

Independence will be at the heart of the mathematics education provided at Leeds East, encouraging free thought, big picture thinking, and creating transferable skills. Through independence, students will have elevated levels of self-belief and resilience, giving students intellectual confidence and encouraging enterprise skills for future careers.

Curriculum Features

Mathematics at Leeds East Academy will equip children with a powerful set of tools to understand and change the world; these include logical reasoning, problem-solving, and the ability to think in an abstract ways. Research - Young (2014, p. 74) explains that knowledge is powerful ‘if it predicts, if it explains, if it enables you to envisage alternatives’. Therefore, students will master skills, acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject, enabling them to think flexibly and transfer their knowledge to different subjects and cope confidently with the demands of further education, employment and adult life. 

The curriculum will focus on a mastery approach, meaning that students should work broadly at the same pace, allowing all students to experience all concepts. Differentiation will occur through extension and deeper exploration for higher prior attaining students and scaffolding through multiple representations for students working at a slower pace. The curriculum provides opportunities for regular assessment of understanding, where support will be out in place to ensure progress is maintained, and understanding can be extended. Key stage 4 allows students to work to different pathways, ensuring that all necessary content is covered at a pace suitable for each learner. Through the differing pathways, there are opportunities for content to be regularly revisited to embed ideas and enhance retention, as well as extending learners beyond the base skills. Students will need to understand a multitude of new mathematical vocabulary, as well as increasing their literacy skills through reasoning and justification of complex, multistep, problem-solving and proofs.

The curriculum is sequenced in a way that ensures all foundation knowledge is laid in earlier years, and throughout each student’s school career, they will continuously build upon prior knowledge, finding connections between each key stage and topic. Each topic is sequenced to allow content to be explored in greater depth, whilst interleaving all topics to ensure connections are made between them. 

Students study a wide range of traditional mathematics combined with practical, functional skills in real-world contexts.

Cross Curricular & Wider Experiences 

Subject experts will foster student engagement, intellectual playfulness, and a thirst for learning through exciting, relevant and challenging mathematics. Throughout the curriculum, life-skills such as financial planning are embedded, and enrichment opportunities provided through our partnership with external speakers, further education providers and businesses. Close connections to science are highlighted, including the use of real-life equations and kinematic graphs. Maths and science teachers work together to ensure all crossover content is taught consistently. It is our intent that our students become the catalysts of change and make positive contributions to their communities.

 For further information regarding the maths offer at Leeds East Academy, please contact milner.s@whiteroseacademies.org 

Curriculum Journey - Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 - Curriculum Journey - Mathematics 

Curriculum Journey - Key Stage 4 

Key Stage 4 - Curriculum Journey - Mathematics