Further Mathematics Centres

What is a Further Mathematics Centre?

The functions of a Further Mathematics Centre are:

  • To establish provision for Further Mathematics that will enable all schools and colleges in its area to offer Further Mathematics tuition to their students.
  • To ensure that every student studying in a school or college in its area, who would benefit from a Further Mathematics qualification, can study Further Mathematics, either through their own school/college or through the Centre (or a mixture of both).
  • To provide assistance and support to teachers in schools and colleges in its area who are delivering Further Mathematics in-house.
  • To forge links between schools, colleges and Higher Education Institutions in its area that will facilitate, improve and extend the local Further Mathematics provision.
  • To promote Mathematics to all young people in its area, with a view to increasing the uptake of Mathematics and Further Mathematics at AS and A-level and Mathematics and mathematics-related subjects (Engineering, Sciences, etc.) at university.

How is a Further Mathematics Centre Organised?

  • A Further Mathematics Centre does not ‘belong’ to a particular school/college, LEA or university – not the ‘Grange Hill Further Maths Centre’ or the ‘ University of Narnia Further Maths Centre’ . A Further Mathematics Centre has a regional identity – the ‘East London Further Maths Centre’ or the ‘Northumberland Further Maths Centre’.
  • A Further Mathematics Centre serves local schools and colleges that do not offer Further Mathematics by providing their students with Further Mathematics tutoring and teaching.
  • A Further Mathematics Centre also supports any existing provision of Further Mathematics in schools and colleges that do offer Further Mathematics.
  • Each Further Mathematics Centre is managed locally by a Further Mathematics Centre Manager, usually based at a local school/college, university or LEA. Each Centre has a Management Committee to monitor the work of the Centre Manager. This committee is made up of people from the local educational community with appropriate expert knowledge. Each Management Committee also includes a representative of the national Further Mathematics Network.
  • A Centre aims to use local resources and expertise to provide the best service it can to give students in its area access to study Further Mathematics.

Further Mathematics Centres are collaborations between several different types of institution, whose input is coordinated by the Further Mathematics Centre Manager.

The schools, colleges and students served by the Further Mathematics Centre form its membership. The aim of the national Further Mathematics Network is to establish a network of Centres to allow access to Further Mathematics to any student who would benefit from it across the whole of England, and to coordinate the provision in a coherent way.

The Further Mathematics Centre Manager

The Centre Manager coordinates various local institutions to provide the best possible Further Mathematics provision for students in the area.

  • This involves working with LEA(s), local universities, schools and colleges.
  • It involves organising tutoring support for students who cannot be taught directly in their own schools/colleges and helping to support the provision in schools/colleges who can teach their own students.
  • Each Further Mathematics Centre Manager is trained and supported by the national Further Mathematics Network Central Team.

The Activities of a Further Mathematics Centre

  • All schools and colleges that register with their local Further Mathematics Centre have free access to purpose-written, structured web resources to support teachers and students of Further Mathematics.
  • Where a school/college does not teach Further Mathematics, their local Further Mathematics Centre can organise for their students to receive external tuition and support to study Further Mathematics. How this is organised depends on local circumstances.
  • All schools and colleges can send students to study and revision days organised by their local Further Mathematics Centre, at nominal cost.
  • Further Mathematics Centres can support pupils in Key Stage 4 by organising enrichment events and supporting the teaching and learning of the Additional Mathematics Free Standing Mathematics qualification and/or early - entry AS modules.
  • Further Mathematics Centres aim to support the CPD of local teachers who teach or would like to teach Further Mathematics.