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Original poster

GCSE Further Maths?. Does your school do it?

22 replies

far2erly · 28/02/2021 06:19

I saw there's now a AQA GCSE Further Maths but our school isn't doing it. My DC would choose it as an option if it was a available. Are many schools doing it? Does it give an advantage for Further Maths at A Level?

OP posts:
Justonemoreepisode · 28/02/2021 06:25

Ds’s school provide it to children predicted to do well in their standard maths GCSE. There is a commitment to lessons after school if taking it - it is not a ‘standard’ option.

Silkies · 28/02/2021 06:47

Ours doesn't offer further maths GCSE but offers statistics GCSE and Level 3 Additional Maths - statistics is available to all, the level 3 is available to about top 20 or so in the year though its dependent on the student teaching themselves quite a bit of it so results are quite variable. Both mine are doing both and want to do Maths / FM at A level.

Silkies · 28/02/2021 06:52

I don't think its that common to be offered but the Level 3 does go into the first year of the A level I think. Our area has a lot of science parks in and lots of science / maths in some of the schools but old area no-one of the schools offered it.

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 28/02/2021 06:54

It's not taken by many schools as they don't have the timetable space. We offer it in a similar way to silkies. Combined with GCSE Statistics it's an option block.

No it won't disadvantage him. Make sure he does the transition work from gcse to a level properly when the time comes.

Does the school have a sixth form or not? If they do, they'll expect students to not have done FM. Students going elsewhere will be a mixed bag because FM isn't offered everywhere.

troppibambini6 · 28/02/2021 08:29

Yes dds school does but it's a selective girls grammar that specialises in maths and science.
A lot of the girls do it but you can only do it if you're in top set for maths.

noblegiraffe · 28/02/2021 13:35

It was mainly designed to bridge the gap to A-level maths as the old GCSE wasn’t difficult enough. It’s not so relevant now as the new GCSE stretches the top end more.

It’s nothing to do with A-level Further Maths except it has some very basic matrices in it.

It’s a great course and I really enjoy teaching it but I think fewer schools are offering it now because of the new maths GCSE.

BlackBrowedAlbatross · 28/02/2021 13:38

At DC's school, top two sets do GCSE in November of Y11 and then study additional maths. It's up to them whether they take the add maths exam in the summer of Y11 or not, but I think they are expected to if they want to do A level.

RedGoldAndGreene · 28/02/2021 13:39

Our comp offers other level 3 maths qualifications for the able but some secondaries round here offer Further Maths too.

EwwSprouts · 28/02/2021 14:27

DS school offer it to the top set only. DS was second set so didn't do it. He is now doing A level maths and doing well. Doesn't seem to have disadvantaged him.

GU24Mum · 28/02/2021 14:30

DC's school does it. They slightly religious the sets at some point at/during Y10 as they expected top sets to do it.
didn't expect sets below a certain point to do it but in between it depended whether the child wanted to and in what way they were good at maths ie "just careful and accurate" or in the set below but potentially more mathematical.

GU24Mum · 28/02/2021 14:31

rejig not religious.......!

Africa2go · 28/02/2021 14:39

Not as an option. Top sets do Maths GCSE in Yr 10 and Further Maths GCSE in Yr 11.

Petrarkanian · 28/02/2021 14:42

My daughters state school do it for an hour after school one day a week. They start in year 10.

CharlieAteMyCake · 28/02/2021 15:56

Ds1 was meant to do it if their statistics class could sit their GCSE in year 10 but sadly half the class struggled with stats so no FM, just went back over statistics content.

Ds2 is in year 10 now, they were told in year 9 that they would sit maths early in year 10 and do FM in year 11, then covid happened. Definitely not happening now.

But Ds1 does do maths and FM at A level. Just maths helps with FM. He is A* in both so this isn't about whether you did it for GCSE. Statistics GCSE has helped him for Maths/FM A level more than FM would have he feels. He did get a very comfortable 9 for maths and an 8 in statistics in 2019 ie he sat the exams.

lljkk · 28/02/2021 16:02

Twilight subject at DS school - done with self-study, lunch & after school sessions.

Seeline · 28/02/2021 16:08

DD did it last year - top set were expected to do it. Mainly self taught with a few after school sessions. She did IGCSE maths and there was not much more in the further maths than what she covered in the maths course.

11plusNewbie · 28/02/2021 21:35

Top maths sets do it in the normal maths timetabled lesson. they finish the content of I-GCSE edexcel before Christmas of year 11, then move on to AQA further maths from January in year 11 (as well as consolidating IGCSE maths). This is in an independent school.

WhatHaveIFound · 01/03/2021 09:16

DS's school offers it to the top set. When DD was there they did Maths GCSE in Y10 and FM in Y11. Now it's changed to both exams in Y11.

DS is planning on doing Maths at A level but won't do Further Maths.

SusannaMorvern · 01/03/2021 22:07

Yes, they do an additional maths qualification, although it's not a GCSE. They sit Maths GCSE early and if they pass then they sit the additional qualification.
www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/additional-mathematics-level-2/#tab_overview

EmmaStone · 02/03/2021 10:07

Top set does an Additional Maths exam, but it's not an additional GCSE. I did something similar back in the dark ages as well - I never mention it with my qualifications, so seems a bit of a waste! They have a weekly lunchtime session specifically for this content.

MarshaBradyo · 02/03/2021 10:09

Ours does Ds is doing it

MargaretThursday · 02/03/2021 11:37

When dd1 did GCSEs (1st year of new spec) her observation in the A-level class were that those who had done Additional maths were better prepared than those who had done Further Maths GCSE. There wasn't much difference between those who had done Further maths GCSE and those who had done nothing.
Of course that might boil down to the different schools and their teaching rather than the actual qualification.

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