QCA has produced a report: 'Offering further mathematics as part of the A level curriculum', which includes the following six case studies:

Example 1: School offering further mathematics in the second year of a double mathematics course

Example 2: School offering further mathematics alongside A level mathematics

Example 3: Further education college offering further mathematics as a fully timetabled A level option

Example 4: Shared provision with other local institutions

Example 5: Shared provision with a local further mathematics centre

Example 6: Tuition entirely through a local further mathematics centre

For some schools, providing further mathematics for their students is not feasible because of low numbers or lack of available teachers. In cases like these many have opted to enlist the support of their local further mathematics centre4 for all their students who want to study the A level or AS.

A typical arrangement would be that once a potential further mathematics student has been identified the further mathematics centre manager will arrange tuition for that student in a convenient local venue. The tuition is provided either on a one-to-one basis or as part of a class that the further mathematics centre has organised for any schools and colleges in the local area. Face-to-face tuition may be as little as one hour per week but this is supplemented by access to online teaching and learning resources, revision and study days, and email access to their further mathematics tutor.

Using a further mathematics centre to provide tuition is financially neutral to schools and colleges that use it: the further mathematics centre charges a fee for each module taught which is less than the amount the home institution claims back for each student through the normal funding mechanisms. (The fee is set at this reduced level in recognition of any administrative costs such as examination entry fees that the home institution may incur.)

As one head of department commented:
“It doesn’t cost us anything overall. If we didn’t offer further maths we couldn’t claim any money anyway… This way we can give our two very good mathematicians the chance to study further maths without it affecting our budget. We couldn’t do that if we tried to provide tuition ourselves – apart from the fact that I don’t have the available staff… They want to study maths at university.”
Head of mathematics, 11–18 school

A further mathematics centre manager explained the role of the centre:
“The ideal situation for me would be for all schools and colleges to offer further mathematics in-house as part of their A level offer but I know that’s unrealistic at present and for some it may never be possible… What’s happening in one school is that last year I did all the tutoring for the course but this year they are teaching one module themselves. The intention is that at some point in the future they will do it all themselves… The teachers have built up confidence in the unfamiliar modules by attending the revision and study days I do for the students. As interest in further maths goes up I’m hoping more and more of the schools will take it on themselves.”
Further mathematics centre manager