How is Cambridge Maths School?

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Hi All,

We are considering A levels at Cambridge Maths School for DS. However, as the school is new there is limited information. Anyone here knows what it is like to study there? Also how does it compare vs. say Imperial or King's Maths School?

It’s a state 6th form - I live in Cambridge and have yet to hear anyone give a convincing reason for going there than say Hills road 6th form

What about the course rigor (easier to give enrichment material to a student who would be underchallenged by the standard FM curriculum when there's a whole group of such students vs when it's only a single one), peer group, lectures/talks by Cambridge faculty, low student-teacher ratio, etc?

This is all my guess or from the website, mind you.

DS was offered a conditional offers from CMS and we are in the same boat as you!
CMS website is very promising - also they get to attend lectures at Cambridge university not sure if it’s the same for Imperial maths school. Also there is no information about leavers destinations, as both the schools had their first intake in 2023. Would be nice to know what kind of conditional offers they have from OxBridge for their year 13s. Plenty of information is available for Kings

DS2 is in year 13 there, it has been amazing. I think he has been given the equivalent of a fantastic private education, paid for by the state. It is the best educational experience I have ever come across in state education, which I say as a former state secondary school teacher.

The staff are fantastic, from what I understand from DS2 the teaching is outstanding and the extra curricular activities have been excellent. They even went to Kenya for 10 days volunteering in a primary school and going in safari in the Masai Mara.

Obviously they have a great combination of high achieving, well motivated students and have been able to recruit the best teachers, which puts them at an advantage. But I am also very impressed by the leadership, the head and deputy are really committed to maths and stem education and ensure a truly inclusive environment.

DS2 now has an offer from Cambridge University for maths, as well as being predicted 4 A stars at A level. For him it going there has been the best opportunity ever.

The only disadvantage I can see is that getting a place is competitive, as there are a very high number of applicants to places.

This is so helpful, thank you so much. And so very well done to your DS.
Couple of questions if you don’t mind

1. Are there students commuting from London?
2. Do they have long hours in the evenings or weekend classes?
3. Do you know what proportion of students have received Oxbridge offers?
4. Would you also have any idea about Imperial Maths School?

Thanks, DS is very happy. Just needs to do well in STEP now.

1. I think DS said there are students commuting from London, but I don't know how many. Most are in the vicinity of Cambridge, but some have quite long commutes.
2. There are no weekend or evening classes. They so have a full timetable Monday to Friday though, and are expected to be there during that time, unlike many 6th forms where they can leave site during free periods. There are essentially no free periods. There are after school optional extra curricular activities but they are usually an hour or so at the end of the day, like 4 to 5pm.
3. I don't know what proportion got Oxbridge offers, but I know there are a number that did and that it is high considering their cohort was only about 45 students.
4. I have no idea about Imperial Maths School, I understand CMS worked with King's when it was being set up. I get the impression that the Maths Schools are fairly similar and would probably choose the one with the easiest commute if there are multiple offers. DS works very hard and gets tired by the end of the week/term, he commutes an hour each way by bus.

With every student taking maths and FM, there must be multiple sections of each. Are students grouped by ability or are they randomly distributed? How does the workload compare to, say, a good private school? How do the maths A level teachers differentiate for the brightest students?

It is a very small school, there were only about 45 students in DS2's intake, which was the first cohort. They were not grouped by ability, but they are all the brightest students. This is what makes it such a unique place as the academic level of all students is so high.

DS2 was home educated prior to attending, but from what I understand most students were from state schools with just a few from.private. But I know former home educated students who went to private 6th forms and those who went to local state ones and I believe CMS offers something better. But being highly selective, the opportunity is only there for the brightest, most committed students and I understand there are a much higher number of applications than places available.

The GCSE entry requirements for subjects taken at A level are higher than most 6th forms and there was also a reasonably challenging entrance exam which narrowed down applicants, followed by an in person maths based interview, after which offers were made on the basis of the interview.

Differentiation has been really good. I was told at DS2's parents evening recently that he is the most talented mathematician his Maths teacher has ever taught. He has always felt that there was enough challenge. There are always extension questions for those who finish class work and TMUA/STEP preparation lessons for those taking it. DS2 got a 9 in TMUA, which is the highest mark that almost nobody gets, but this might give an indication of his ability.

They do TMUA/STEP prep from Y12?

It says class sizes are max 12 here: https://cms.tela.org.uk/life-at-cms/a-day-in-the-life/

@Muu9, the actual STEP preparation classes are in year 13. But DS2 said there were STEP extension questions avaliable in Maths lessons from year 12 for those who were interested or had finished other work.

DS2 says many of his peers have only recently started STEP preparation. DS2 has been doing STEP questions on his own since he did his GCSEs as he was interested in the Maths and liked the challenge.

His teachers have been really supportive of his interest in Maths outside the curriculum and have taken time to discuss STEP questions he's chosen to do at home with him.

There is also a lot of opportunity within the curriculum explore areas of maths outside the A level syllabus. They are really trying to nurture an interest in Maths and STEM education in every way they can.