Mathematics and Further 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 6pm to 8pm on Friday 16th 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.

RETURN TO THE SIXTH FORM VIRTUAL OPEN EVENING WEBPAGE
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Please note that any comments posted below will be visible to all users.  Although your name will not be displayed in the forum, please do not post any comments that contain personal information about you or your child

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Comments

  1. Hello, I am Mr Pagnamenta and I will be here to answer any questions here that you submit this evening.

    Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 17:41

    1. Hi there. I am Mr Lehmann and I'm joining Mr Pagnamenta this evening to also answer your questions.

      Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:20178, 16/10/2020 at 18:02

      1. Hello, how do you know if you have the option of Further Maths? Can anyone take it?

        Posted by GuestK754, 16/10/2020 at 18:19

        1. Good evening, and thank you for your question. The minimum requirement to study Further Maths is a grade 8. Further Maths is offered as a fifth A Level initially - so if you continue Further Maths through to the end of year 13, you will gain both a Mathematics and a Further Mathematics qualification. As it is offered as a fifth A Level this means there will be more work with fewer study periods available at school, so we strongly recommend that you have a keen interest in the subject and are willing to invest the time required. Hope that helps - do say if you have any follow up questions.

          Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:20178, 16/10/2020 at 18:25

          1. Hello, what areas does the Further Maths A level cover?

            Posted by GuestK703, 16/10/2020 at 18:53

            1. Good evening,
              On the pure maths side, Further Maths covers topics like complex numbers, more calculus and differential equations, matrices, vectors, polar coordinates, hyperbolic functions proof by inductions.

              Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:00

              1. On the applied side it covers collisions, oblique impacts, work and energy, elastic energy problems. In statistics we cover more probability distributions, including the negative binomial, the Poisson, the geometric. There is a lot more hypothesis testing as well as chi squared and probability generating functions.

                Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:18

        2. Do you have to have studied Further Maths in Year 11 to study it in the sixth form?

          Posted by Open Day guest, 16/10/2020 at 18:43

          1. This is my question too!

            Posted by Guest343, 16/10/2020 at 19:00

            1. In short - no. We have found that changes to the IGCSE have made the gap to A level smaller, and so I would not say it is essential. Our top sets do cover the AQA Further Maths qualification as it is a useful one to have.

              Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:05

            2. are there any trips for Maths in the sixth form?

              Posted by Open Day guest, 16/10/2020 at 18:49

              1. Yes - most years we take groups to Bath Forum or to London for the Maths inspiration lectures, which are always excellent. We also support some of the excellent lectures that are at Bath University and sometimes have visiting speakers from there. We also travel around a fair bit to all of the Maths team challenges and take 6th form teams to the Chippenham regional competition, and sometimes the national final, when we qualify.

                Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:03

              2. Hello is further maths only available as a fifth a level, could it be your fourth instead?

                Posted by Guest221, 16/10/2020 at 18:52

                1. If they do further Maths then they usually start with 5 a levels in total - Maths, Further Maths and three others, but it is possible to reduce to 4 during the year if the Maths is going well.

                  Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:08

                2. Hello
                  Are all topics of further maths compulsory?
                  If there are optional, do you split the class according to options chosen?

                  Posted by GuestK609, 16/10/2020 at 19:11

                  1. Further Mathematicians have 2 compulsory pure maths papers. The other 2 papers they need are "optional". Since we are lucky to have 2 further maths classes is gives us scope to consider different options for the 2 classes. Further Mechanics 1 and Further Stats 1 are the most popular but in the past we have had one of the two groups take one of the other options. This might be decision maths, or more pure or stats or mechanics. We look at what would suit the pupils in each class to make this decision.

                    Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 19:23

                  2. For a subject such as Further Maths how do 6th form student new to KES generally perform? And, what processes are there to catch them up to KES systems of learning?

                    Posted by Guest220, 16/10/2020 at 19:11

                    1. Often students who are new to KES are amongst our top students. This year for example we have two of our new Further Maths students from last year applying to do Maths at University, one of those at Cambridge. Much like our current students, their success is down to their hard work and commitment to the subject.

                      In terms of getting used to KES - they have 15 lessons a fortnight split across three teachers so they tend to get used to how we operate fairly quickly. We find that there is a family feel to Further Maths groups given how long they spend together! This also includes offering extra academic support to those who need some extra help on any particular topics.

                      I hope that answers your question - please say if you have any further queries.

                      Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:20178, 16/10/2020 at 19:41

                      1. Thank you!

                        Posted by Guest220, 16/10/2020 at 19:59

                    2. Thank you for all of the questions this evening. If you do have any further questions please feel free to post here and we will aim to reply early next week.

                      Posted by Mr R Pagnamenta, 16/10/2020 at 20:14