Maths students enjoy the subject and find it interesting - nearly half the students at Hills Road take one of the maths courses as part of their overall programme. Maths complements other subjects, supporting and enhancing understanding in the physical or social sciences or providing breadth and balance to an arts- or languages-based programme. Maths is a good training for the mind, helping to develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills – the kind of analytical processes that have helped solve problems of all kinds for thousands of years. Students with maths qualifications are numerate and highly employable in a variety of areas as diverse as computing, engineering, finance, data analysis and mathematical modelling.

 

Entry with:

GCSE grade A in Mathematics. 

• • Opportunities to use graphical calculators and computers to help you develop your mathematical understanding
• • Extra-curricular programme including trips, competitions and talks
• • No coursework
• • Range of courses allowing some choice in applied modules:
  Decision maths develops a variety of approaches to problem-solving and decision-making in industry and commerce .
  Statistics analyses situations where outcomes are uncertain and takes probability as its starting point.
  Mechanics investigates the way in which objects move and how they are affected by forces. It also appears in physics courses and would be particularly useful for potential engineers.
• • The possibility of following a Further Maths AS course as an option in Year 13.

 

Awarding body: AQA

AS Level Units

Unit 1: Core 1
Unit 2: Core 2 These two units form the “tools of the trade” – the information and set of techniques used to solve problems. They cover topics such as algebra and trigonometry, which appear in GCSE courses, and develop them further. They also cover some new topics, most notably calculus.
Unit 3: Applied Unit 1 (either Mechanics, Statistics or Decision depending on the course option chosen)
 

Advanced (A2) Level Units

Unit 4: Core 3
Unit 5: Core 4 - Continuation of the core maths from the previous year.
Unit 6: Applied Unit 2 (depending on the course option chosen)
 

 

 

• • A purpose-built Mathematics Centre with teaching rooms grouped around a resource area containing 12 networked computers with access to the Internet and College Intranet and also a library area.
• • Stocks of text books and other materials
• • A large teaching team of dedicated and enthusiastic subject specialists.
• • Additional individual tuition in the lunchtime workshop, as well as other support schemes.
• • Advice and preparation for further study in mathematics and related disciplines.

 

“The topics we have covered are very varied, so the lessons are always interesting. You do not repeat the same material for weeks on end! The teaching styles are also varied which helps people to grasp the new concepts. The different learning styles and classroom activities help us to remember the techniques taught. If you have a problem with anything there is always a member of staff around to help, as well as specific lunchtime surgeries. A highlight of the course was encountering new areas of maths and discovering topics I really enjoy.”
Pippa Cadd

“I enjoy maths because its challenging, the simplicity of either right or wrong, and the buzz you get when you get a hard question right. It’s not just textbook work and this also makes it more interesting and enjoyable.”
George Proctor