Maths Faculty

Curriculum Rationale

To develop fluency and understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics, developing mastery by making mathematics accessible to all.

The curriculum also supports the development of key skills such as the ability to reason and solve problems (key assessment objectives in GCSE). Our curriculum follows ideas created by White Rose Maths.

KS3 begins with a focus on number in all year groups; this helps to underpin key ideas for the remainder of the year as well as practising retrieval of knowledge of topics taught previously. E.g. in year 7 place value is revisited to ensure key understanding such as the meaning of integer this is then used to make sure students are comfortable in performing the 4 key calculations which is then further developed to include decimals as well as integers. Then algebra is unit 2; this is a key topic throughout the secondary curriculum and a topic that is revisited within other topics. Geometry and Statistics are then covered; their order is not as crucial however number and algebra need to have been taught prior to the teaching of these units as key skills of number and algebra reappear here. There is then a second number or algebra unit and finally ratio and proportion and probability are covered. The KS3 curriculum provides understanding and how and why we perform certain calculations in the process that we do and also supports the merging of topics e.g. fractions used to find the area of shapes, inverse operations for reverse percentages. 

KS4 begins with algebra, a key topic in GCSE (17-23% foundation and 27-33% higher tier). Both tiers of students cover the same topic of work at the same time with the foundation students developing their understanding from KS3 whilst higher students revisit KS3 content but then further develop the content to cover the content at the higher GCSE level. Units of work should be aimed to be completed by February half term in year 11 this then provides time for targeted revision within the classroom; revisiting topics, building retention and overcoming any remaining misconceptions students may still have.

Sparx

We're excited to say that all students at Ridgewood will now be using Sparx Maths for their Maths homework this year. We thought it would be useful to help explain how Sparx works! 

What is Sparx Maths?

Sparx Maths is an online platform which provides personalised homework for students to help them succeed with Maths. It is used by more than 350,000 students in more than 1,000 schools. These students, collectively, answered 147,000,000 questions correctly in the most recent academic year! Ridgewood students are now part of this exciting community!

How does Sparx work?

Sparx is personalised so questions are pitched for the exact ability of the student answering them. The provide the appropriate amount of challenge to enable faster progress, and the Sparx system adjusts questions based on the responses it receives from the students. Every question contains a short, support video to help students answer questions, even when they get stuck. Questions are structured to build understanding and are based on what has been taught in class, meaning that homework is achievable but also provides challenge and rigour. Consequently, students are set up to succeed and will be able to successfully complete all of their Maths homework - something that isn't possible with a one size fits all approach. Sparx also demands a 100% success rate, which although a challenge, means students experience continual success once they overcome a particular problem.

What if students get stuck?

Sparx Maths will encourage your child to give each questions a really good attempt. If they get stuck, they can watch a short support video to help them answer the question. Teachers are in a great position to help as Sparx Maths will provide a full view of each question attempt. In addition, we provide a drop-in support session every Wednesday and Friday after school from 3pm to 4pm in the Training Centre; students can drop-in and ask Maths teachers for support, or they may be directed to attend to complete the week's homework if they have not already done so.

Here is a link to a video that further explains how Sparx Maths works.

If you have any questions about Sparx, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your child’s Maths teacher!