Dd doesn't have a maths teacher

what is the difference between FSMQ Additional maths and the AQA Further Maths?

I think Noble has given some very good advice. It has helped me as well. I too have come out of meetings feeling out of my depth, and as though I was fussing over nothing. As one other poster has said, I wish there were some national consensus on how to deal with children who do GCSE early (or who are good at maths but would prefer not to do GCSE early).

Good luck to your dd with her maths.

Oh dear, I really hate to speak ill of another teacher but they sound incompetent. Re laptops: a) access to mymaths would be brilliant, because mymaths covers all the topics in additional maths as it has an A-level sections, and b) there's a lot more on the internet than just mymaths.

Before you go getting a tutor, have a look at what's out there.
www.mrbartonmaths.com/gcsefm.htm these videos are for Further Maths rather than additional maths but there's a big overlap in content so your DD might find them useful.

A quick google threw up reptondubaimaths.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/0/1/4801751/additional-maths-revision-notes.pdf which looks thorough.

Maybe if your DD looks up mymaths and other stuff on the internet then presses to be allowed to use them in lessons, they might change their mind about laptops.

Admitted that putting them in for GCSE in year 9 was to bank the grades

Disgraceful. Schools putting their own interests ahead of those of pupils.

their muttering at the back of the class was a distraction.

distracting the lucky kids who actually get a maths teacher this year? How dare they. I'd have been pretty pissed off by that comment. It may be true, but it's the school's fault.

They can sit them elsewhere, they can hire someone to babysit them in another classroom. Doesn't have to be a maths teacher, seeing as the maths teacher is ignoring them anyway.

Did you bring up laptops?

But it has helped at the A-level stage if he is now finding A-level easy because he did it. Would he rather be struggling along with the ones who didn't?

My dc's school has all set 1 and 2 students doing FSMQ in Year 11. DS did it, got an A. Oddly, they don't do maths GCSE a year early, they do both maths and FSMQ at the end of year 11. Seems to work for them, though, as all the students got A* for GCSE and nearly all of them got A for FSMQ.

Hes now in 6th form doing maths and further maths A levels. He's quite frustrated because about half his maths class haven't done FSMQ, so the teacher is going over stuff that a lot of them already know.

I'm not sure I see the point of doing the FSMQ if it doesn't help at the A level stage.

Don't quite agree with that LeBearPolar.

I work in a school where lots of B grade students at GCSE get between a B and a D at AS and A2.

If you structure and chunk the course and don't assume the students can work independently e.g. set 5 hours of homework a week, students can be successful.

Obviously, it is much harder from a B than an A* though.

What is really important is a thorough grounding in algebra. That's pretty much universally agreed as the key to a good crack at A-level. The A at GCSE wouldn't matter so much if the OP's DD were receiving an excellent and thorough teaching of the additional maths qualification. She isn't, she has been left to languish since Y9.

Her algebra must be worked on really hard this year. Resitting GCSE to get an A is one method; A maths features in both C1 and C2. Another possibility is an excellent and thorough teaching of the additional maths qualification. Through the school, or through tutoring.

What is not going to be a good start to A-level is an A achieved in Y9 and bog all decent maths since then. She will really struggle.

stats not broken down by groups who took got their highest grade GCSE in yr9, 10 or 11 so they aren't so relevant to OP's kid; but even if they were, the perspective taken here about the importance of A vs. A* is not what I see as what matters IRL outcomes.

I hope OP gets a resolution that her DD is happy with.

Lljkk, I'm not sure how you could look at those DfE statistics I linked to, and conclude that an A* doesn't matter. In terms of a-level outcomes, it makes a huge difference.

1. is clearly unacceptable as it failed so badly as a method last year. Besides, your daughter deserves to be taught. Ofsted would not be impressed at a student being left untaught for two years. If they observed a lesson where a group of students were sat at the back with a book and no structured input, it would be graded inadequate. Is the school expecting an Ofsted?

2. Reasonable option. It is a shame that your DD can't put her education above her pride. It's also a shame that she is competitive with her peers rather than in a supportive group as a collaborative effort with the additional maths would work better.

3. I'd have specifics in mind. A structured scheme of work with expectations for each week's work clearly laid out. Homework set and marked with constructive feedback. Absolutely no budging on that. I'd also push strongly for IT access during lessons - laptops or tablets with headphones. If the kids are having to teach themselves, then they should be able to look stuff up on mymaths or the Khan Academy. Clear assessment points with mocks, past papers etc. Access to the teacher during lessons who should check that they are making progress.

If not, see point 1 about Ofsted. Your totally valid complaint should be escalated to the head, then the governors if no satisfaction.

Really lljkk? I think it matters a great deal. many pupils with an A grade struggle with A level maths as it is possible to get an A without having really grasped the more difficult Algebra topics, which are precisely the topics needed for A level.
As a Maths teacher who has successfully delivered Add Maths alongside IGCSE with no early entry, I agree with those saying that OP's daughter would be best upping her grade to A*, although I understand her daughter's reluctance to do so.

This thread has convinced me more than ever how much an A* doesn't matter.

I would recommend the tutor route. Your dd's school has really let her down by allowing her to get an A at Y9, where she should be getting a brilliant A in Y11. Schools that do this are often trying to push as many kids as possible through the D/C borderline so that they can improve their league table positions. I would be properly outraged if my children (both talented mathematicians but younger than your DD) were encouraged to take a GCSE early unless the school was certain they would achieve an A - the way the school has done this your DD has been cheated out of the grade she deserves.

Other posters are correct in saying that it's possible to achieve an A grade without the deep understanding that's really beneficial if you want to take the subject at A level. I think it's shocking your DD has been left to coast once she's got the school her league table points in Y9. Although I am generally very much against tutoring, I think this is probably the only way your daughter will get the mathematical education she needs and deserves. A tutor will enable her to retake her GCSE and get the A* grade she should get, as well as tackle the additional maths qualification with confidence, and have some decent preparation for A level.

What do you want the outcome of the meeting to be?

Actually this thread is helpful because I heard that Dd's school does "triple math GCSE" for top set & I puzzled how they did that. I suspect must be regular math (yr9), stats (yr10) & additional math (yr11).

Agreed. It's a big leap to a-level and it's such a quick pace when they get there.

There needs to be a clear set of good practice guidelines for schools.