Over the past two years, AQA has been running pilot schemes for both GCSE Maths and Functional Maths.
Working alongside Leeds University, we were chosen by the QCA to develop and run these pilots as part of the Maths Pathways Project.
The experience and knowledge gained through these pilots has provided us with unique insights as to what works when teaching the new specifications and what doesn't. This means you and your students will benefit from specifications that have been tried, tested and refined.
Find out what three teachers have to say about their experiences of AQA Maths pilots.
It’s about improved, general, transferable skills, which they can apply to anything, whichever they choose to study, whatever direction they want to go in.
Phil Eadie, The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester
It’s about becoming independent thinkers and approaching problems systematically and logically.
Tracy Helliwell, Head of Maths, Kingsfield School, South Gloucestershire
I've always found AQA as an exam board to be really helpful – you can phone up and have a question answered. There's a human on the end of the line, not just an answer phone or a big queue.
Leanne Williams, Vyners School, Uxbridge, Middlesex
Now you are doing Functional Skills Mathematics this year, is there anything that you think is particularly different?
Rory I suppose you could say it's more practical.
Emma Yeah, like when we did compound interest in banking and insurance, and looking at what banks give you the best interest and how much that would actually work out.
Liam You pay a lot more attention, because you know you're going to need it.
Emma It makes you pay more attention. If it's like a scenario, you can just read through it and it's not so scary.
Liam It's common sense, really.
Emma It's everyday maths.
Students from Year 10, Kingsfield School, South Gloucestershire
What do you think about Functional Maths?
Annabel Ordinary maths was not that interesting, because we just sat in class.
Guy Functional Maths is more fun; I enjoy it more than normal maths. Like when we went out of the classroom and tested our heartbeats. That was more exciting.
Jaspreet We were doing the rainforest and used different figures and calculated different things, like the average population and how it changed between years, as a percentage increase or decrease. Some information we were given and some we had to find ourselves.
Annabel Functional Skills is more useful.
Guy Everything we do will come in handy sometime.
