This case study describes how the AMSP was able to support the Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls in offering A level Further Mathematics for the first time. The academy had offered A level Mathematics for many years but did not offer Further Mathematics. However, students were interested, and the department was keen to provide them with this valuable opportunity.
About Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls
Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls is an 11-18 girls-only school. There are over 1400 students across the school, with between 150 and 200 students in the sixth form. It is based in the London borough of Havering.
Supporting the Development of A level Further Mathematics
The Local Area Coordinator, James, played an important role in supporting the KS5 Coordinator in developing the course, offering information and guidance about staff training and student recruitment.
James gave advice and support about the needs of the school to ensure presentation to SLT to introduce Further Mathematics had a big positive impact. He was able to offer other tailored information matching our needs to available courses. He also helped with more practical things like how to design flyers to recruit students. The partnership between KS5 Lead and AC meant we could use his experience from other schools to improve the experience of students along with the capacity of teachers.
V Wheelhouse
KS5 Lead
Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls
Age range: 11 – 18
Subjects:
A level Mathematics
A level Further Mathematics
Preparing your teaching to offer the best
To ensure that the A level Further Mathematics students received the best teaching possible, several teachers enrolled on specific courses to improve their knowledge and understanding of math how to teach particular topics.
Staff engaged with Teaching Decision 1 & 2 (TD1&2), Teaching Mechanics 1 (TM1) and Teaching Statistics 1 (TS1). The impact saw the quality of teaching significantly improve with a greater emphasis on highlighting connections between topics and fostering a deeper understanding and direction of the courses being taught.
V Wheelhouse
KS5 Lead
Professional development that fits your needs
The flexibility of the AMSP course offer meant the maths department could use them to enhance their teacher’s knowledge and pedagogy based on the needs of the teacher and the department. What was also helpful for Vicky was the flexibility of the courses offered, from short online courses to on-demand courses.
At the moment the AMSP are the only people offering high quality on-demand PD for post-16 maths. They are so useful and allowed me to fit PD around my lifestyle and family. Without this access I’d have had no subject based PD for 6 years!
V Wheelhouse
KS5 Lead
Find out more about A level Further Mathematics and the support we offer here.
More advice
The following resources and pages offer further advice about increasing participation in level 3 maths and teaching Core Maths:
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