Intent Statement

1 Kings 7:23

‘And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.’

This is the perfect piece of scripture for the maths department as it depicts the number Pi in words. This is particularly important as Pi is valued for its importance in giving us greater clarity in understanding our universe and our place within it. As this is clearly highlighted in the scripture, we can see the threads of maths interwoven in the teachings of God and our place within his kingdom.

At Saint Paul’s we aim to develop our pupils into positive and confident Mathematicians by equipping them with the tools and techniques to become resilient and independent thinkers. We empower pupils to take a logical and systematic approach to problem solving and recognise the value of perseverance and accuracy. The Maths department encourage our pupils to express themselves using suitable mathematical language and notation by modelling the correct use in every lesson. By using examples from everyday life to explain and reinforce mathematical concepts, we make Mathematics real and accessible, whilst hopefully inspiring some to take their mathematical studies forward to college or university.

As a knowledge-based curriculum we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of Mathematical skills. At both KS3 and KS4, starters revolve around the use of prior learning tasks as recommended by Mr Barton. Use of end of topic diagnostic testing and developmental feedback is a regular feature of our Maths lessons. All students have individual access to Dr Frost Maths and are set structured revision tasks related to the curriculum.

We build the cultural capital of our pupils by enriching the curriculum in appropriate areas with knowledge and tasks themed around famous mathematicians. Pupils can learn about the history and impact that they had upon the word we live in and the work we will go on to study. Real life applications of Mathematical ideas and careers where these ideas are regularly used are explored with our pupils.

Our curriculum at Saint Paul’s goes far beyond what is taught in lessons; whilst we want students to achieve the very best examination results possible, we also want to support and engage pupils outside of the classroom. As a department we offer opportunities for individual competition through the UKMT in Year 8 and Year 10. We also offer KS3 and KS4 pupils to take part in team Maths competitions organised by the University of Manchester. All pupils in Year 9 take part in an internal Stock Market Challenge organised by the Maths department. And finally, our highest achieving Mathematicians go on to represent the school at the Manchester Business School Year 10 Stock Market Challenge. In recent years, the Saint Paul’s team have achieved first place several times when competing against 20+ other Manchester high schools.

Reading List