MATHS
Department Handbook
2013-2014
Mathematics is not just numbers and arithmetic. Although we need
to become fluent in arithmetic to live our daily lives, there is so much
more to Maths. It is the study of structure and pattern. We use it to
explore, understand and simplify the world around us. Mathematics is
the study of connecting the unconnected.
Through studying Maths, we learn how to reason, how to solve
problems, how to ask ‘what if…’, how to explain why, how to create.
We learn how to think. In studying Mathematics we learn so much
more than just using numbers.
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Staff are also expected to familiarise themselves with the The Staff Handbook
and the details of their own personal contract of employment.
CONTENTS
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Our vision for our pupils
3
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Our vision for Maths at GFS
4
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Staff of the Maths department
5
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The Maths curriculum
6

Assessment in Maths
9

Department initiatives
12
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The public profile of the Maths department
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Appendices:

List of staff contact details
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OUR VISION FOR OUR PUPILS
At GFS we believe that all pupils can achieve success if given outstanding
teaching and pastoral care.
The Greenwich Free School is a small, more personal school, where teachers get to know every pupil as an
individual, and are able to both challenge and nurture them. We demand a lot, setting high standards for
pupils and staff, with a “no excuses” approach to attitude, work and discipline. We also recognise the
importance of pupils’ wellbeing, building their characters and skills, and developing young people who will
truly flourish.
It is our aim for pupils that they will embody the values of Growth, Fellowship, and Scholarship while at
school and beyond. They will be well-rounded, confident, independent, and articulate young people with a
genuine love of learning and desire to succeed. They will hold high expectations of themselves and others
and will strive to have a positive impact as members of their communities. They will exemplify the GFS
learning habits and values as outlined in the ‘GFS brain’ below:
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OUR VISION FOR MATHS AT GFS
“If there is a God, he is a great mathematician” – Paul Dirac
Mathematics is not just numbers and arithmetic. Although we need to become fluent in arithmetic to live our
daily lives, there is so much more to Maths. It is the study of structure and pattern. We use it to explore,
understand and simplify the world around us. Mathematics is the study of connecting the unconnected.
In studying Maths, we learn how to reason, how to solve problems, how to ask ‘what if…’, how to explain why,
how to create. We learn how to think. In studying Mathematics we learn so much more than just using numbers.
There are three criteria for Maths teaching at GFS:

Create an environment in which all pupils enjoy Maths and feel they can do well in Maths.

Create ‘good mathematicians’ with a focus on independent problem solving skills.

To engage pupils and expose them to the beauty and relevance of Maths.
The growth mind-set is fundamental to mathematical development; all pupils at GFS should feel as though they can
do well at Maths. We want all pupils at GFS to believe they can achieve great things if they demonstrate
perseverance, resilience and flow. Only through removing the anxiety that surrounds Maths can pupils enjoy it.
Scholarship means making our pupils good mathematicians. We would like pupils to be independent and curious
problem solvers with a desire in pupils to learn mathematics for its own sake. The key GFS learning habits with
regards to problem solving are noticing, questioning and reasoning.
Perhaps the most important skill to consider when planning and teaching Maths is making links. How can we
connect different areas of Maths together? How can we connect Maths with other subjects across the school? How
can connect Maths with the world around us? It is the teachers’ responsibility to demonstrate the value, beauty and
relevance of mathematics to all pupils.
Maths is best learnt through fellowship; learning from and with others. I would like Maths lessons at GFS to focus
on collaboration not competition, with pupils working together to achieve a common goal. Through mixed ability
teaching and the use of rich mathematical tasks, pupils will have the opportunity to share knowledge and imitate
others. Maths lessons at GFS should not just about ‘doing Maths’; they should also aim to teach pupils the social
skills needed in a wider context. And of course teachers in Maths department will be expected to display fellowship
and work together too!
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STAFF OF THE MATHS DEPARTMENT
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller
Being part of a new school provides us with a rare opportunity to build a community of avid learners from its
foundations. We are building individual departments but also the GFS family. This is a great responsibility which
comes with both extreme rewards and extreme challenges. Teachers at GFS are expected to go the extra mile. As is
outlined in the staff handbook, GFS teacher are expected to consistently maintain a high standard of quality
teaching, reporting, and pastoral care. This includes providing high quality enrichments and extended learning
opportunities. Impact on pupil outcomes is at the core of what we do and as the school grows we want to be a
model of good practice in education. We acknowledge that we are learners as well as teachers, eager to be at the
forefront of teaching innovation and to develop ourselves as well-rounded individuals capable of supporting our
pupils at the highest level. We have high expectations of ourselves and, just as we encourage our pupils to be
ambassadors for the school, we too strive to represent GFS positively in the wider community.
The culture among teachers at GFS is one of supportive collaboration. Teachers are encouraged to engage in crosscurricular planning to ensure that departments are not isolated entities but part of a larger network contributing to
the design of a purposeful curriculum across the school. At GFS our colleagues’ professional development is as
important as our own. Our classrooms are always open and peer observations are embedded in our culture as a way
of learning from one another. We offer each other regular, informal, formative feedback and the staffroom is a place
for sharing and working through new ideas in a supportive environment. Celebrating moments of success is of huge
importance to us and we strive to highlight the joyful moments in each day. GFS is a wonderful place to work where
staff members are friends as well as colleagues.
Within this, teachers of the Maths department will be expected to work together to develop the very best learning
experience for pupils at GFS. We can only do this by having the very highest expectations of pupils and ourselves,
striving for excellence in all pupils at all times. In addition, we must always support each other, whether that is
through creating resources together, sharing teaching practices and ideas, maintaining a positive and professional
attitude, or just listening to and helping each other.
Regarding the creation and sharing of resources, you will be expected to work with others (both within and outside
the Maths department) to contribute to the Maths scheme of work and the Maths website gfsmaths.com. You
should never be happy to ‘play it safe’, and should always seek to create interesting lessons that will engage pupils.
You should always aim to find ‘new’ Maths, or ways of teaching Maths, that excite you, and subsequently share this
excitement with the pupils. The only ‘limits’ to your creativity are the promotion of the GFS values, developing
problem solving skills and exposing pupils to the beauty and applications of mathematics. The quality of our teaching
is the most important factor in ensuring our pupils receive the very best Maths education.
You will also be expected to be a reflective and modern practitioner; you are encouraged to maintain a blog
reflecting on the success of your teaching and showcasing the exciting Maths that is happening in your classroom.
You should aim to use a range of media to evidence and enhance the learning that is taking place, and seek to
employ the latest technological advances where you consider they might improve learning. These accounts should
be shared with each other, the pupils and the parents to promote transparency, foster improved learning, and to
help create a cutting edge Maths department.
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THE MATHS CURRICULUM
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
- John Dewey
The aims of the KS3 Maths curriculum are to;



Create an environment in which all pupils enjoy Maths and feel they can do well in Maths.
Create ‘good mathematicians’ with a focus on independent problem solving skills.
To engage pupils and expose them to the beauty and relevance of Maths.
All teaching should be undertaken with these criteria in mind. These criteria are evident in the current Maths
scheme of work for year 7 as shown in the diagram below. As outlined in the section ‘Staff of the Maths
Department’, this scheme of work is not fixed and will be developed by the department as a whole.
Here is the content element of the KS3 curriculum at GFS. Teachers must encourage pupils to make links between
various topics within Maths. The strands and content of the National curriculum form the basis of the work covered
in order to prepare pupils for assessment at KS4.
Year 7
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Year 8
Year 9
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The planning cycle
The following diagram gives a guide to teachers on what to consider when planning lessons:

Objectives: All lessons should be based on the objectives set out in the schemes of work given above.
Outlines for units of work are stored on popplet, indexed through gfsmaths. Teachers should aim to meet
the dual objectives of improving problem-solving skills in line with the Bloom’s triangle, whilst aiming to
cover content topics as set out in the GCSE grade descriptors.

Differentiation: All lessons should be fully differentiated, extending and supporting pupils where necessary.
Activities should be high-ceiling, low threshold to allow effective differentiation to take place, with explicit
planning for support if required. Support materials can be found on the gfsmaths website.

Activities: Should be rich mathematical tasks, generally of an investigative nature, designed to meet the
curriculum content while improving problem-solving skills.

Assessment: A mixture of formative and summative assessment methods should inform teaching, enabling
every pupil to progress. See next section for more detail on monitoring pupil progress.
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ASSESSMENT IN MATHS
“Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardour
and attended to with diligence." – Abigail Adams
At GFS, an emphasis on individual pupil progress is at the core of our vision for assessment. As a result, we
have developed our own assessment model based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy:
Assessment model based on Bloom’s taxonomy:
Each department has used the Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop their own assessment triangles; the assessment
‘triangle’ for Maths is below. You will see that the assessment criteria match the curriculum aims given in the
previous section; all lessons should aim to allow pupils the opportunity to become ‘better mathematicians’, to be
able to solve problems independently, and as such they should be assessed according to this criterion.
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All classrooms must have copies of the assessment criteria on display and pupils should keep a copy in their folders
for self-assessment purposes. This assessment triangle forms the basis of all KS3 Maths lessons; teachers must aim
to use the language of the above assessment criteria when giving any verbal and written feedback. The criteria
should be referred to throughout (most) lessons to allow pupils to know what they have done well and how they
could improve.
One of the criteria for learning Maths at GFS is that all pupils should feel as though they can do well in Maths. Only
by removing the (negative) labelling of National curriculum levels can this aim be achieved.
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Record keeping
The recording and reporting of data, target setting and other assessment practices within the Maths department
must be in line with the school assessment policy given in the staff handbook.
The basic requirements for the assessment of pupils in the Maths department are as follows:
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A pupil ‘rough’ book for taking notes to be kept in the pupil folder. This does not need to be marked, but
teachers should ensure pupils are using this appropriately.
A pupil maths folder to keep assessed work. Teachers must fully assess a minimum of 1 piece of work per
half term, to be kept in the folder. Full written feedback should be given using the language of Bloom’s
taxonomy, with instructions on how it could be improved. Teachers must record GCSE grade description for
these pieces of work in MIS.
Pupils to be given a test twice a year (Christmas and end of year) in line with GCSE grades.
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DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES
"People of excellence go the extra mile to do what's right."
– Joel Osteen
The Maths department is currently running a number of initiatives to help meet the needs of all pupils:
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Maths mastery for lower attaining pupils to consolidate basic maths skills.
Really hard maths club where pupils come and work on difficult mathematical problems.
Preparation for, and entry into, the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge.
Maths wrangles, to develop (mathematical) communication skills. These have run at a tutor-group level so
far; we are due to hold a whole-school wrangle in the summer, hopefully followed by an inter-school
competition. Other competitions include a school-wide SET competition.
Maths4Parents evenings to inform parents about the teaching and assessment practices within the Maths
department, and within GFS as a whole.
The delivery of Maths and… units of work. This year we have delivered a unit of work with the …Philosophy
department on ‘What is intelligence?’ incorporating an assembly on the work of Alan Turing. We have also
delivered a unit of work in connection with the …History department on the ‘History of Maths’. We are
currently planning a project with the …English department called ‘Writingmaths’ which will award a prize for
the best creative writing about Maths, hopefully run in connection with other schools.
Incorporation of Computing into Maths lessons, through programming in Python and use of Excel. This is to
be developed further through the use of Raspberry Pi’s.
Once-fortnightly lessons on some element of abstract or current mathematics to develop higher order
thinking skills in the style of CAME.
Creativity in Maths through the quilting club and maths embroidery, with the help of Ms Jones!
Development of a cutting edge scheme of work through the gfsmaths.com website and blog, and the
creation of GFSMaths – The Book.
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THE PUBLIC PROFILE OF THE MATHS DEPARTMENT
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the
waters to create many ripples." – Mother Teresa
AT GFS we believe in celebrating successes and sharing best practice. As part of this commitment, each department
has created a public website using Weebly to showcase pupil learning and achievement. This enables pupils to
review and evaluate their learning and to share their work with their parents. It also provides the opportunity for us
to engage the wider teaching community by sharing our ideas.
The Maths department website can be found at www.gfsmaths.com.
It contains the resources used in Maths lessons at GFS, and a blog reflecting on the use of these resources. There is
also an outline of the scheme of work and assessment/learning criteria.
For up-to-date reflections and information from the maths department, follow @greenwich_FS on twitter.
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APPENDIX 1: LIST OF STAFF CONTACT DETAILS
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the
continent.”– John Donne
Danny Brown, Head of Maths: dbrown@greenwichfreeschool.co.uk
Michael Bennett, Teacher of Maths: mbennett@greenwichfreeschool.co.uk
Megan Hibbert, Teacher of Maths: mhibbert@greenwichfreeschool.co.uk
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