English and Mathematics

Please watch the video below to view some of the more frequently asked questions about these subjects, then scroll down to the forum below to submit any of your own questions.

Thank you for watching.  If your question was not covered in the video, then please use the "add comment" button below to ask one of our teachers for help.  Staff will be live on the forum from 9am to 12pm on Saturday 17th October and will then be checking for questions throughout the weekend (although response times will not be as quick).  The forum will close at 4pm on Monday 19th October, after which you can email any questions to admissions@kesbath.com 

For General Enquiries: The forum below is intended for subject-specific questions. If your query is more general, then please post it on the Admissions and General Enquiries forum and one of our admissions team or senior teachers will get back to you.

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Comments

  1. Good morning. I am Mr Pagnamenta, head of Maths, and I will be here to answer any Maths related questions posted on this forum.

    Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 08:57

    1. Good morning. I'm Zeynep Kayacan, Head of English, here to answer any questions that you might have about English at King Edward's this morning.

      Posted by Miss Z Kayacan, 17/10/2020 at 08:58

      1. Good morning. Thank you for the informative video. We have two questions: 1. Approximately how many children are in each band / set for each Maths and English class? (2) Homework was mentioned as 20-30 minutes in year 7. Is that per day? If not, how often typically would a year 7 child receive homework in these disciplines? Thank you

        Posted by Guest453, 17/10/2020 at 09:19

        1. Good morning. In English GCSE English groups class sizes range from between about 18-22 students in the top and middle band groups to between 8-12 students in the lower band group. In Year 7 students will receive one 20-25 minute English homework per week.

          Posted by Miss Z Kayacan, 17/10/2020 at 09:24

          1. In Maths is varies slightly, but in year 7 they start in mixed ability groups of 15-20 pupils. After resetting the higher sets are usually in the region of 20-23 and the lower sets are 10-15. In Maths in year 7 they get one piece of homework per week of 20-30 mins. The HW is slightly longer in y8 and 9 and in year 10 it goes up to two homeworks per week in Maths.

            Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 09:25

          2. Good morning all. I am Mr Lehmann, Acting Second in Mathematics and I'll also be on hand this morning to help answer your questions.

            Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:20178, 17/10/2020 at 09:30

            1. How many maths lessons are there in one week and what is the duration of a lesson?Thanks

              Posted by Guest459, 17/10/2020 at 09:44

              1. Good morning. There are 5 maths lessons across a two week timetable (the first week is different to the second week) in years 7 and 8. Years 9 - 11 this goes up to 6 lessons a fortnight. In sixth form there are 9 lessons a fortnight for Mathematics and 15 lessons a fortnight for Further Mathematics. All lessons are one hour.

                Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:20178, 17/10/2020 at 09:47

              2. Good morning,
                Do you only review sets at the end of each academic year, or is there more fluidity during the year?
                Thank you

                Posted by GuestK506, 17/10/2020 at 10:39

                1. In Maths we do a complete resetting after the end of year exam in year 7, 8 and 9, so there is quite a lot of movement then. We also review the sets after tests, and so sometimes need make changes during the year, but this is only when a pupil is clearly outperforming the rest of the class.

                  Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 10:45

                  1. In English there is scope to move between GCSE bands at any time, though we would usually wait until the end of the unit being studied. Each year we don't tend to have more than one or two pupils moving groups but when we do, the move usually takes place within the first term of Year 10.

                    Posted by Miss Z Kayacan, 17/10/2020 at 10:47

                  2. In English, in the mixed ability classes, can I get support with my planning or have more time if I struggle with this? My Dad says I am a high Lexile reading level but I get stuck under pressure on reading tests even though I can spell really tough words.

                    Posted by Guest253, 17/10/2020 at 10:53

                    1. Hi there, thank you for your question. In the English department we do our very best to support the needs of all pupils and understand that there are some aspects of the subject that some students find more difficult than others. Success in reading assessments is something that develops with time and practice, so please don't worry at all about this!

                      Posted by Miss Z Kayacan, 17/10/2020 at 11:03

                    2. Hi there. I love Maths. My class and my Dad don't like maths as much, so can I do more, tougher maths if I want to at KES?

                      Posted by Guest253, 17/10/2020 at 10:58

                      1. Hi, That's great to hear - we love Maths as well! It sounds like you might be quite good at it too! We always aim to challenge all of our pupils, at the right level for them, whatever set you're in. We enter all pupils in year 7 for the Junior Maths Challenge and often use questions from those competitions in lessons, to put your problem solving skills to the test. Last year's paper can be seen here.... have a go! https://www.ukmt.org.uk/competitions/solo/junior-mathematical-challenge/archive

                        Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 11:09

                      2. Good morning, this may be a bit beyond year 7 - do you use graphics and computers more generally in exploring maths? Be it graphs, trigonometry, calculus, fractals, prime numbers etc.

                        Posted by Guest209, 17/10/2020 at 11:10

                        1. Yes - we use technology a lot for various topics. The main one as you say is for graphs, and graph transformations. In fact many of my year 11 class have just downloaded the Desmos App on their phones this week! We also Autograph in year 7 and 8 for topics like like transformations of shapes. Geogebra is also very helpful at explaining many concepts dynamically, especially for introducing calculus and as well as the unit circle, and introducing Rsin(x+a) by translating and stretching a sine graph as well as the standard method using identities.

                          Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 11:26

                        2. I hope you have found the videos and forum helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to post them here and we will reply by early next week. Have a great weekend.

                          Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 17/10/2020 at 12:02