Beaconhurst School

Senior School - Maths

Staff:  

Miss Louise Thrippleton (Head of Department), BSc, PGCE
Miss Ailie Holmes, BSc, PGCE
Mrs Elinor Ross, BSc, PGCE
Miss Jean Tudor, BSc, PGCE

Transition-S2 Courses:

There are two classes in each year, grouped according to ability.  Both classes follow a common course, which is based around the Teejay textbooks

  • Tr – Level D book
  • S1 – Level E book
  • S2 – Level F* book

These are supplemented accordingly to ensure adequate coverage of the key areas of algebra and fractions.

S3-S6 Courses:

The department has opted for the new examinations: Intermediate 1 & 2 rather than Standard Grade. The two ability classes diverge at this point:

  • Upper Class - start Intermediate 2 in S3 aiming to finish around Christmas of S4. They then start the Higher course, doing topics which consolidate Intermediate 2 in preparation for the Int 2 external assessment in the summer of S4. 
  • Lower class - consolidate Intermediate 1 in S3 before proceeding to Intermediate 2. The external Intermediate 1 examination is taken in May of S3 and the Intermediate 2 with the Applications Unit, rather than Maths 3, is taken in May of S4.

Most pupils from the upper class go on to sit Higher in S5 with the option of postponing to S6 if appropriate.

A full range of units at Advanced Higher is offered by the department. Each year a small number of pupils take Mathematics and/or Applied Mathematics at this level.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

The department encourages participation in a range of competitions:

  • Participants in the UK Mathematical Challenge gain a good number of certificates at Junior, Intermediate and Senior level each year.
  • The Scottish Mathematical Challenge is entered by a number of pupils each year.
  • The class competition with a European flavour : Mathématiques sans Frontières is enjoyed by S4 & S5 each year.

As well as sending a team of 4 pupils from S3 & S4 to the Independent schools’ heat of the Enterprising Maths competition, we run our own such competition each May. This gives every pupil in S2 & S3 the opportunity of working as part of a team on a range of mathematical activities.