MATHEMATICS

Mathematics is a central part of the School's curriculum within the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior sections, and pupils are encouraged to develop numeracy and problem-solving skills from an early age. All pupils sit Mathematics GCSE, and Statistics GCSE is also offered in Year 11. A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics are offered in the Sixth Form.

Mathematics is all around us. It provides a useful model for our world, from day-to-day tasks such as budgeting, to more advanced areas of economics, science and engineering. It provides a language in which to express complicated ideas succinctly and creates a structure for problem-solving. For this reason, Mathematics has a central position as a compulsory subject to age 16.

There is also a beauty in the logic of mathematics. Through investigations and other challenging problems we aim to give students a sense of the aesthetic pleasure of seeing pattern and exploring new ideas. Students value the stimulation of a challenging task. In the words of an 11 year old student: “it makes your brain move”.

In the prep school, we follow the National Curriculum, augmenting it with national maths challenges and the occasional visit to the theature! Most recently, our 10 year olds enjoyed Johnny Spacehopper and His Vital Statistics at the Secombe Theatre. We also took part in the recent World Maths Day, celebrating among other things the birthday of Albert Einstein.

At GCSE we have had much success in running a GCSE Statistics course alongside the usual GCSE Mathematics course. Our pass rate, at A*-C is excellent.

Mathematics is a thriving subject in the Sixth Form at The Harrodian. With an ever-increasing number of students opting to take Maths in the Sixth Form, we now offer A-Levels in both Mathematics and Further Mathematics. The Department prides itself on its academic achievements and each year we have students pursuing Mathematics to degree level at University.

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Head of Department: Mr Anthony Lee