This case study looks at Leeds City College Core Maths journey beyond post-16. Leeds City College’s approach to Core Maths combines the practical nature of Core Maths and how it integrates with vocational courses and wider life skills.
About Leeds City College
The college is the largest further education establishment in the City of Leeds, with around 26,000 students, 2300 staff and eight campuses across the city. Core Maths is taught at two Leed City College sites, the School of Engineering, Printworks Campus and Sixth Form College in Park Lane. Dimitrios Georgalis is head of Maths based at the Sixth Form College.
Embedding Core Maths
The practical nature of Core Maths means it can also be tailored to run within vocational courses. Complementing and supporting these qualifications and providing specific context for the mathematical content.
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.
Dimitrios Georgalis
Leeds City College
Age range: Post 16
Subjects:
Core Maths
Maths Resits
T levels
Core Maths is more than just a Mathematics qualification
How you teach Core Maths can really help students develop other skills that help with employability and learning skills.
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.
Dimitrios Georgalis
Find out more about Core Maths 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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