Welcome to the Mathematics Department

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Curriculum Intent: Mathematics

We study Mathematics in order to become better at solving problems, arising either from Mathematics itself, or modelled from structures and systems in the real world. Mathematics encourages us to identify patterns, to categorise, and to make logical deductions and predictions from facts presented or assumed.

As part of a STEM academy the Mathematics department motivates students to question the abstract science of number, quantity and space. Our Mastery Curriculum is ambitious, designed to excite students and develop them into fluent mathematicians who can reason, problem solve and articulate their understanding of mathematical situations. Students take pride in their mathematics, are inquisitive, celebrate mistakes as learning opportunities and apply mathematical skills to Science, Computing and Engineering.

Through our learning journey students make informed decisions about their future employment and education. The mathematical skills gained at NUAST allow students to be successful citizens and contribute to the local and wider economical community, increasing their social mobility.

Mathematics is a branch of abstract reasoning that is curiously useful for understanding the universe. The numbers, operations and constructions of Mathematics exist only in their purest form in the mind of the mathematician, but understanding their behaviour is a powerful tool for solving problems in the real world. Mathematics is a discipline in which problem solving, lateral thinking and imaginative reasoning are as valuable as a facility for careful and accurate calculation.

The Mathematics department is comprised of eleven teachers with different life and teaching experiences. We each bring our own set of skills to the team and like to think we work well as one!

Mathematics is compulsory until the end of Year 11 and is a popular A level choice, meaning we have a large cohort of year 12 and 13 students who study A2 Mathematics, along with a class in each year group studying Further Mathematics as an additional subject. Many of these students go on to successfully study degree courses which require them to have achieved highly in A2 Mathematics. We have also introduced the Level 3 Mathematical studies qualification as a one year course studied in year 12 to support the mathematical content in other studies, where a student has chosen not to study A level maths. Students engage well with the subject in lessons and enjoy attending enrichment activities and afterschool sessions which support their learning.

We have six dedicated mathematics classrooms in the NUAST main building and additional teaching space in our sixth form William Lee building. We have regular access to ICT rooms during lesson time and subscribe to a variety of valuable online learning providers such as Mathswatch to support student' independent study.

The mathematics department continues to work together on developing the teaching and learning happening in our classrooms, aiming to give the students the best possible experience of the subject; in return we expect students to always do their best, which often includes building resilience when they find topics hard.