Jo Sibley – Poole Grammar School
Further Mathematics Support Programme
Department structure:
• 8 full time teachers, 3 part time or shared with other depts
• 11-18 boys’ grammar in Dorset.
• KS4 cohorts of up to 180, split into two halves, with 4 sets in
each half. Small sets 3&4, larger sets 1&2.
• A level Maths is the largest subject at our school – we are
expecting more than 100 to start the course this Autumn.
• Our dept are very committed and close-knit; we have all been
working to improve learning through continuous in-classroom
assessment methods such as mini-whiteboard work and
imaginative pair and group work.
• We host up to two PGCE and two School Direct trainees each
year and hope soon to be offering a post-ITT SKE as part of our
Teaching School commitment.
…but I’m the only girl 
A bit of history:
• Previously used OCR FSMQ Additional Maths after early entry
for GCSE (summer of Y10 or Autumn of Y11) for the two
parallel top sets.
• In summer 2012, we also offered the AQA FM course to Year
11 Sets 1 (as well as Add Maths) and allowed selected
students from Sets 2 and a few from a Set 3 to opt in to the
new course as well, to be examined at the same sitting as their
GCSE (starting teaching from Nov 2011).
• Currently Year 10 are not entered for early GCSE and we
integrate the L2 FM with their GCSE teaching for all groups.
• In summer 2014, both Sets 1 and Sets 2 took the exam. Sets 3
and 4 were offered the chance to opt in.
A level preparation:
• We would like all students embarking on A level
Maths to have completed either FSMQ Add Maths or
AQA L2 FM.
• We provide booster days in the summer for any who
haven’t had access to this.
• Stretches and challenges the more able
• Good preparation for AS/A level study
• More accessible than OCR Additional Maths
• Can be taught in parallel with GCSE
• Interesting exam questions (requiring students to think
Mathematically)
• Excellent support from AQA
• Good free resources available (AQA, MEI etc)
• Graded on a five-grade scale:
• A* with Distinction (A^), A*, A, B and C.
• Examined by two terminal papers:
• Paper 1 (Non-calculator) 1 hr 30 mins – 70 marks, 40%
• Paper 2 (Calculator) 2 hours – 105 marks, 60%
• Two sittings per year; January and June
• It gives high achieving students an introduction to AS
level topics that will help them to develop skills in:
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Calculus
• Matrices
• Trigonometry
• Functions
• Graphs
• AQA’s own assessment guidance
• made into a student booklet for Y11, used electronically for teaching
examples on screen, lots of mini-whiteboard use
• AQA’s worksheets
•
A later addition, now added to student booklets
• Exam paper booklets with topic cross referencing
•
Initially completed in exercise books by topic, then full papers at end
• Integral resources
•
Much use made of chapter assessments and multi-choice section tests,
on board or on paper
• Standards Unit box for Core Maths for fun activities
• Revision sheets designed in-house
• Old OCR Add Maths textbooks and past papers
• Especially good for coordinate geometry, trig
equations, quadratic inequalities, factor theorem and
differentiation
• Core 1 and 2 questions from past papers
• MaxBox coursework task
• Specifically designed expensive text books!
•
•
They didn’t exist at the beginning so we got by without and now we
don’t miss them at all!
We have now bought a set of these but haven’t had a chance to try
them yet… watch this space!

Categorising quadratics
At least 1
positive root
Turning point
in 3rd
Quadrant
Negative yintercept

Piecewise functions
◦ With curve sketching?

Differentiation
◦ 6th form familiarisation?

Matrices
◦ With transformations?

Factor theorem
◦ With quadratics?
… or at the end of the course.

Matrices:
◦ Combinations of transformations AB  BA
◦ Rotation is anticlockwise in Maths!
◦ Negative determinants mean reflection

Equation of a straight line
◦ y - a= m(x – b) from the start

Second derivatives and points of inflexion
Things we don’t like so much:
 No integration
 No binomial expansion
 No complex numbers
… but we probably wouldn’t have time to do
these anyway!
Things we would like to see:
 A separate applied course on the same lines
Stuff we do like:
 Problem solving, puzzle-type questions
 Connecting topics and different ways to answer a
question
 Exact answers – surds all over the place, 30/60/90
triangles
 Proper algebraic proof
 Interesting to teach and room to extend - for fun!
… and so much more fun than Stats GCSE!
Simplify: 12: 48: 300
OABC is a kite. Find its area and the
coordinates of point B:
B
C(0, 4)
O
A(12, 0)
Jo Sibley – Poole Grammar School
Further Mathematics Support Programme