How to offer Further Mathematics

There are many ways to offer Further Mathematics, from teaching it as a fully timetabled class, to having all of the tuition provided through the FMSP.

Strategies include:

• AS Further Mathematics being offered as an option for year 13 students


• Students from two or more schools/colleges being taught together to form a viable Further Mathematics class


• Teaching being shared between a school or college and its local FMSP Tutor
• If more than two applied modules are offered as options for A level Mathematics students, using the applied option classes to enable Further Mathematics students to study extra applied units without the need to timetable extra classes

How the FMSP can help your school/college teach Further Mathematics

The FMSP can provide external Further Mathematics tuition, but wherever possible the FMSP supports schools and colleges to provide Further Mathematics tuition themselves. These case studies are from schools and colleges that work with the FMSP.

QCA case studies for offering Further Mathematics

The 2007 QCA report 'Offering Further Mathematics as part of the A level curriculum' includes these six case studies for offering Further Mathematics.

If you are thinking of starting up Further Mathematics in your school or college, please contact your local FMSP Area Coordinator (see the links from the map in the left-hand menu bar for contact details), or the FMSP Central Team for advice and support.

AS Further Mathematics in year 13

Whether or not you already offer Further Mathematics, do consider offering AS Further Mathematics to your year 13 students.

• It is an ideal preparation for students planning to go on to degree courses in mathematics-rich subjects such as engineering, physics, computing and finance/economics, as well as mathematics itself
• It is accessible to all students capable of passing A level Mathematics
• As well as introducing students to topics such a matrices and complex numbers, which will certainly be useful to them on their degree courses, it also improves their mathematical fluency, which often helps them to improve their A level mathematics grade as well
• University departments in mathematics-rich subjects are very keen for students to take Further Mathematics qualifications (and not just the elite universities - see universities)
• Taking AS Further Mathematics in year 13 to support a university application looks very impressive on a student's UCAS form

Textbooks for Further Mathematics

A list of textbooks for use with Further Mathematics can be seen at:

• AS/A Level for AQA
  
• AS/A Level for Edexcel
  
• AS/A Level MEI Structured Mathematics
  
• AS/A Level for OCR

Edited SL 18/03/11