Today we are launching our third detailed investigation as part of Maths Horizons. In this investigation we will be exploring which groups of pupils and students are currently under-served by the maths curriculum and assessment regime in England, and what changes could be made to improve this. In particular, we want to look at the following questions:
What are the major points of challenge in the existing system?
What are the consequences of these points of challenge on pupils and students?
How can we better support pupils and students with SEND to realise their potential when studying maths?
How is the current structure of KS4 working, or not, for all pupils?
We are asking these questions because we know there are a number of points in the maths learning journey where pupils or students tend to disengage with maths or struggle to understand the content being taught and assessed. We want to think about how we can smooth this journey, remove barriers or points of challenge, and help pupils to feel supported and scaffolded throughout their learning.
From our earlier Call for Ideas we heard the following:
That the number of topics covered at GCSE can mean pupils do not develop deep understanding and that not enough time is spent on fundamentals.
That maths topics can feel too abstract, and there is more we could do to ensure pupils understand how maths can be applied.
That GCSE tiering practices can limit some pupils.
That GCSE assessment could be improved: some suggesting splitting it into 2 GCSEs to correlate with English, and other suggesting the introduction of a coursework element.
That compulsory GCSE re-sits have not worked universally well.
Please help us think in more detail on these points by contributing your thoughts here
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