Maths
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What do flying a helicopter, baking a cake, preparing for a lunar landing and planning an overseas holiday all have in common? Yes, you guessed it … Maths.
Maths … Numeracy … Arithmetic … Mathematics …. call it what you will, it is so fundamental to our lives we literally would not be able to function in our modern world without it. Whether your interest is in nutrition, engineering, coding, construction, medicine, software development, stocks & shares or even finding a vaccine for Covid-19, you will be using the maths you learnt at school.
So, when a student asks, “Why do I have to learn this? I’ll never use it!”, there is every reason that, although they don’t know it yet, it will prove to help them later in life.
Knightsbridge commits itself to prepare students for the next phase in their education and for life in general. It stands to reason that learning maths fits very snugly into that ambition. Furthermore, learning maths complements studying other subjects like Geography and Science and Economics. Not only that but maths also helps us make sense of the world around us, it connects us to the past and helps us plan for the future. It also promotes curiosity and helps the brain develop the ability to recognise patterns and connections.
At Knightsbridge School, maths is integrated into the broader school curriculum, whilst taught by specialists throughout KS3 and 4. Differentiation (setting work of appropriate standard to every pupil) is achieved through ability setting providing scope to supporting every student, regardless of their maths ability. Small class sizes enable teachers to work individually with students, affording them support and monitoring their progress on a lesson-by-lesson basis.
Software and online resources are used to supplement classroom practice. This is not to detract from the importance of teacher-student interaction, but as a way of engaging students through a different medium.
As a core subject, Maths occupies a dominant position in the school curriculum. ‘Practice makes perfect’ and ‘little, but often’; both expressions are relevant to maths. As an Independent school, Knightsbridge goes beyond the National Curriculum by following ISEB standards. This rigorous curriculum ensures the highest standards while giving access to the 11+ and 13+ Examinations. At KS4, the Edexcel curriculum is then followed, securing students’ success at GCSE.
Beyond the formal curriculum, students are offered further opportunities to extend their interest in maths. The annual UK Maths Challenge and Bebras feature on the calendar each year. Additional Maths Clubs are run weekly for children who wish to be extended or supported in their learning, further enriching and broadening the students’ appreciation of all things mathematical.