higher free standing math qualification

[redorangecake]

My dd (year 8) is very good at maths, at her recent target meeting it was suggested that she could do a gcse in maths at the end of year 9.(She wouldn't be the only one out of a class of 16.) The only other maths the school do is statistics. So she would have two years of not doing "real" maths before taking a-levels, in which she will probably carry on with the maths.

I have heard of the higher fsmq qualification offered by aqa and wondered if it would be worth doing all four papers fsmq at higher privately before moving on to the advanced level. or if we should move on to AS maths but this might cause problems at sixth form if she is doing an A2 with 3 AS levels.

DS completed Maths GCSE by the end of Yr10 and his whole group (Top Set)have been doing AQA Level 2 Further Maths during Yr 11. He is actually finding it quite difficult - which is a shame as he wants to do A level Maths.
WHen we went to the 6th form open evening, we were told that the start of the AS level course would be similar to the Further Maths qualification that he is doing, but he would be going over it all again as the 6th form take in students from other schools where they don't do the Further Maths course.

thanks- i hadn't heard of that!

dds school have a deliberate policy of not putting them in for gcse early no matter how able the child. Partly because you do end up with a gap that then has to be filled. Instead very able children are extended using material from UKMT and other resources to help them become well rounded mathematicians. You dont need a gcse to be able to progress in maths.

DS1's old school offers it as around half the year took GCSE (now IGCSE) Maths in Y10. It is then compulsory for those students in Y11. It probably helps with the transition to AS as that is often quite a step change.

My DH used to teach something like this at his old school for children that took GCSE early or as an extra top up.. however his current school doesn't due to time table issues which is a shame as its good prep for A level or so I've been told

www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/free-standing-maths-qualification-fsmq-additional-mathematics-6993/

It's a great qualification that bridges gap between GCSE and AS. 60 kids a year take it at my kids school as they do GCSE in year 10. Mine have enjoyed it and said it really helps, not only with maths at higher level, but also physics and statistics.

Our school take the gcse in year 11 but the most able also undertake AO maths at the same time.

Thanks for all the replies- I was thinking of leaving aqa's higher fmsq and moving directly on to the advanced level, but the AQA Level 2 Further Maths looks like fun. Will just have to choose between the two.

Can I just ask how much teaching time would be allocated to each weekly?