Big surge in interest for Level 2 Further Mathematics – example of Sandhill View in Sunderland
Over the past couple of years, many schools have introduced Level 2 Further Mathematics, alongside GCSE Maths, after the qualification was in a sleep mode during Covid. One of those school is Sandhill View in Sunderland, and in September and October the AMSP NE team was invited to work with the maths department and their Year 10 and 11 students. The school has a very enthusiastic team of maths teachers who observed a correlation between teaching the qualification and the students achieving levels 7-9 at GCSE, as well as having the benefit of helping students to bridge the gap between GCSE and Level 3 maths. We discussed an introduction to calculus as well as trigonometry in Level 2 Further Mathematics with staff and students experienced a Matrices session delivered by Glyn. The activity below triggered an interesting discussion on basic trigonometric identities and the second solution of every basic trig equation that students really struggle with at A level. The teachers reported that this type of interaction really reminded them why they love maths so much.
We have a large national programme of PD supporting this qualification and are happy to deliver a similar event to individual departments. Equally, if you are interested in offering this qualification and just wanted to discuss it, let us know as we would be happy to try and provide support and advice.
By Valerija Peles-Edwards