In a world where computers can perform complex calculations many times faster than a human it is often transferable skills that make the study of mathematics so enjoyable and valuable.
Being able to think logically and to be comfortable trying, and failing, and trying again are vital. At Badminton we teach girls to solve problems by being curious, collaborative, thoughtful and determined.
We encourage those who find the study of mathematics exciting in and of itself to enter both local and national mathematics competitions such as the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Challenges and the British Mathematical Olympiad offered by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust, the Ritangle competition and the Bristol Schools Maths and Further Maths Competitions for those studying maths at A Level.
We also run our own internal competitions, such as Pi Day House Maths and the annual Maths Research Competition. Maths Club and UKMT Preparation Club also run weekly to enable students to explore problems beyond the confines of the syllabus.
In Years 7 and 8 we concentrate on basic number and algebra using puzzles and problems to practise and embed these skills. In Year 9 we start to expand the range of mathematics studied as we begin working towards GCSE. Girls are placed in sets best suited to their learning needs and setting is reviewed regularly to make sure that every girl is getting the best out of her mathematics. Those requiring a little more support in the subject will be in smaller sets and everyone has the option to attend twice-weekly drop-in clinics for additional help.
At GCSE girls are in five sets, with class sizes ranging from 22 to 10 for those studying the Higher Tier. We follow the Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics curriculum which covers work in five main areas;
The top set also study the AQA Level 2 Further Mathematics and sit the exam in Year 11 alongside their other GCSEs. This qualification, while overlapping in content with IGCSE to an extent, offers an insight into some additional topics outside of the main syllabus, such as further algebra, trigonometry and matrices.
Mathematics is the most popular subject studied by Badminton girls at A Level. We offer both Mathematics and Further Mathematics and follow the Edexcel curriculum for both. This has three main strands;
Pure Mathematics is already familiar to girls from GCSE while Mechanics and Statistics give them the opportunity to use their mathematics to model the real world. Further Mathematics takes things to another level and is an excellent course for those who wish to study either a mathematics degree or a degree with a high mathematical content such as Physics, Engineering or Economics.
Badminton School, Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3BA
T : +44 (0)117 905 5200
