This project aims to explore effective ways of teaching key content of the new GCSE to resit students. Working collaboratively, teachers of resit groups from FE and schools will develop and share effective ways to approach the new GCSE, with a focus on issues particularly affecting this sector such as: student confidence and motivation, condensed timeframe, and large student numbers.

Participants’ departments will, through shared good practice, become more effective at teaching GCSE resit, for example by wider and more confident use of teaching approaches such as barmodelling, multiplicative reasoning or realistic contextualisation.

Provision will also be influenced by understanding the unfolding support that will be required for transition to the post-16 environment with awarded grades rather than examination result.

 

Important Information for potential Participants and Work Group Leads:

Currently: The Education and Training Foundation has confirmed that all Centres for Excellence (CfE) and their network institutions who are involved in the national trials being run by the CfE can now be involved in this Work Group at an institutional level, as long as the individual trial teachers are not participating in the Work Group nor its associated work in their department.

Who will be leading the group?

Sally Bamber

Dr Sally Bamber is the lead for the Secondary Mathematics PGCE at the University of Chester. She moved into teacher education in 2007 following 15 years mathematics teaching experience in four diverse schools. Sally is part of a pilot project accrediting the NCETM PD Lead to post-graduate credits. She is an active member of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics and the Association of Mathematics Education Teachers. Half of Sally’s University role is the design and implementation of classroom based research projects involving collaborative lesson design intended to raise attainment in GCSE mathematics for middle to lower attainers. Sally is a member of the SHaW Maths Hub Strategic Board and chair of the Cheshire and Wirral Maths Hub Strategic Board.

Who is it for?

Teachers of post-16 GCSE Maths resit and/or any head of department where post-16 GCSE Maths resit is taught. Participants may be based in FE colleges, sixth form colleges, schools with post-16 provision or other post-16 settings.

 

What are the intended outcomes?

• Participants will deepen their knowledge and understanding of the curriculum demands of GCSE Maths and their awareness of pedagogical approaches that best support students taking GCSE for the second time.
• Participants’ departments will, through shared good practice, become more effective at teaching GCSE resit, for example by wider and more confident use of teaching approaches such as bar modelling, multiplicative reasoning or realistic contextualisation.
• There will be increased localised support and collaboration between FE colleges, sixth form colleges and 11-18 schools.
• There will be increased student engagement with, and conceptual understanding of, maths, and, in turn, improved student outcomes at GCSE.
• Participants will explore the scope and content of a one-year scheme of work (effectively eight months).

What will it involve?

Any post-16 provider that would be interested for multiple participants from their own institution to take part, whilst welcoming particicpants from other institutions, would be very welcome to host, to minimise travel time and costs.

The group will meet for two face-to-face workshops, with participants engaging in a gap task at their own institution between workshops.

Participating teachers will develop their practice to develop teaching and learning approaches and pedagogy to promote student engagement with the revised GCSE curriculum and develop their own confidence in teaching the new GCSE as a resit in post-16.

What is the cost?

Free