Meet Dimitrios Georgalis

About Leeds City College

Leeds City College is the largest further education establishment in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, with around 26,000 students, 2300 staff, and eight campuses across the city. Currently, Leeds City College has provision for Core Maths in two main areas: the School of Engineering in the Printworks Campus, and at the Sixth Form College in Park Lane. The information below is about the School of Engineering.

What they’re doing in relation to Core Maths

We were one of the earliest providers of Core Maths in the area, with our first cohort sitting their exams at the end of the 2017/18 academic year. We first ran the course as a multi-discipline cohort from our Engineering, Business, and IT departments. We later incorporated Core Maths within the BTEC L3 Engineering course as an additional module, because we found there was real value for our students to engage with real-life maths skills. Since then, we’ve had a good turnover of students, averaging 50 to 60 students per academic year.

Core Maths is usually studied in one year, the first out of two from our BTEC L3 Engineering course, with two 90-minute lessons per week. Entry requirement is any passing grade in GCSE Mathematics and English. Our teaching approach is consistent for all students, all of whom follow the same scheme of work, Edexcel Mathematics in Context.

We feel that Core Maths provides our students with additional soft skills, familiarises them with technology, and builds their critical thinking. Evidence and feedback from our students shows that completing one year of Core Maths makes them feel more comfortable with the overall maths required for their course, and improves their overall comprehension and independent learning skills. In addition, from a teacher’s point of view, Core Maths is rich with opportunities to discuss topics such as social justice, environmental impact, and finance, nurturing informed individuals.