Maths
Hampton School is proud of its outstanding and vibrant Maths Department.
With a staff of 23 teachers who are all passionate about their subject we can help ensure every boy achieves to the best of his ability.
The Department is renowned as one of the best in the country and we are proud that our young mathematicians perform extremely well in the prestigious UKMT Team Challenges, winning the senior competition twice in recent years. Individually, boys excel in competitions such as the British Maths Olympiad.
AIMS OF Maths Department
At Hampton we believe the successful teaching of Maths is based on three core principles:
- Understanding how to write cogent mathematical arguments
- Technique practice
- Learning to problem-solve
We teach boys to excel in all three areas throughout their time at Hampton and have in place a range of programmes that meet the needs of those pupils who require extra support as well as those who need to be challenged further.
Our teachers are passionate about teaching Mathematics to the highest level and many have a wealth of experience regarding the Oxford and Cambridge entrance processes. Our results are consistently excellent and in 2018 over 97% of all boys achieved an A* grade or equivalent in Maths IGCSE. In the Fifth Year, around half of the year group also take an additional maths qualification, FSMQ, and 90% of Hamptonians routinely achieve a top grade in this exam.
More than three quarters of Hampton boys continue studying Maths into the Sixth Form. Sixth Form mathematicians have the opportunity to study Pre U Maths, Pre U Further Maths, or a one year AS Maths course.
The Pre U Maths and Further Maths courses are intellectually stimulating, high quality qualifications, well regarded by Russell Group universities. We usually run six Further Maths sets and eight Maths sets.
Support and Extension
In the Sixth Form, Maths extension sessions happen during lunch break and are open to all comers. The sessions are geared towards the BMO (British Maths Olympiad), the Oxford University MAT (Maths Aptitude Test), graph sketching and real-world problem solving. In the Upper Sixth, boys preparing for STEP exams are taught two extra lessons per week.
Our most gifted First to Fifth Year Pupils are also invited to attend Maths extension sessions once a week, which are timetabled during their normal Maths lesson.
Mathematics Clinic
There are weekly Mathematics Clinics available for boys of all ages. This is a place where any pupil can go to receive extra help with his current Mathematics work. As well as these sessions, which are staffed by members of the Mathematics Department, we also have a number of Lower Sixth mathematicians who offer individual mentoring support to boys in the lower year groups.
External speakers and trips
We have a number of external speakers who come to Hampton School to speak to the boys about Mathematics. Recent topics have ranged from Games of Nim, to how to move the moon, to the Mathematics of juggling. We run a trip for Second Years to explore the Mathematics on show in the Science Museum.
Co-Curricular
Junior Maths Club takes place every Friday and is aimed at our Second and Third Year pupils. Our young mathematicians tackle a wide range of problem solving activities and the club prepares boys to take part in the UKMT Junior Team Challenge. Practice sessions for the UKMT Senior Team Challenge are organised to fit in with the busy timetables of the Hamptonians in the team.
