Mathematics

We are problem solvers. We are critical thinkers. We are mathematicians. Our learning journey begins in our EYC where our students are encouraged to investigate and make exciting mathematical discoveries through their play in Pre Nursery. Our youngest students work with our teaching staff to develop a solid understanding of numbers and to be curious about the mathematics all around them. Choosing, sorting and observing are some of the key skills we teach as students acquire a strong sense of early number.

In Reception, students build on the skills they have secured in Nursery and we deepen their understanding of numbers to 20. Reception students can subitise, which is the skill of recognising an amount without the need for counting. The students continue to observe, notice and spot patterns, and are beginning to think mathematically to explain what they see. These essential skills ensure students are ready for Pre Prep and are becoming fluent with their mathematical understanding. As they progress into Key Stage 1, students use concrete equipment to develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics. We have great fun using Numicon to represent different numbers and use our connection finding skills to find links with different areas of learning. Students become super confident with their number bonds and can apply these skills to a variety of different problems. We continue to develop our thinking skills and our Year 1 students love to be the teacher and spot the (deliberate) mistakes in their teacher’s work. Students use mathematical vocabulary to explain what went wrong and how to correct the error. By the end of Year 2, our students are becoming ‘Times Tables Rockstars’ and can fluently recall their 2s, 5s and 10s times tables. We also work hard to become fantas-

tic with fractions and solve different problems involving unit and non-unit fractions.

Our Year 3 mathematicians love the subject! They work with their teachers using concrete equipment to develop a deep understanding of the tricky topics they encounter. Our Year 3 students are beginning to find ways to work systematically through their problems and to be confident enough to explain their results when completing investigations. Key questions include asking ‘have you found all the possibilities?’ And ‘how do you know?’.

Our older Pre Prep students have been completing complex investigations this year that challenge their intellectual confidence as well as their self-regulation skills. This means that students check their own strategies and adjust accordingly to meet the needs of the problem.

Our Lower School Mathematicians love the subject and we work incredibly hard together to develop skills that will prepare our students for the future of mathematics in the real world. As one of the core subjects at Harrow Bangkok, mathematics forms the underlying language for many other subjects across the curriculum. Developing fluency in reading mathematics is central to developing resilience in our learners and to ensure they are able to express their ideas clearly. Scaffolding the skills and strategies needed to be life-long problem solvers lies at the heart of our curriculum. Through this, students develop a love for the subject that endures well into university and beyond.

In Prep, our students make their first transition from the Pre Prep phase and develop their abilities with a more challenging array of problems. Many of our Prep students will be covering early IGCSE skills as they develop their repertoire of competencies. Prep students also have the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Junior UKMT mathematics challenge; an internationally recognised competition with the very best students from across the world.

MATHEMATICS

At Junior level, we participated in the October 2020 SEAMC competition with outstanding performances from Eugene Wang, Kim Somboon, Moni Tojirakarn and Perth Chirawichada. SEAMC were also highly impressed with Moni Tojirakarn, Perth Chirawichada and Wendy Chang. They have been asked to create videos for the SEAMC website explaining the nine rounds of the competition. These videos will be watched by hundreds of students across South East Asia for years to come. They have also been invited as adjudicators to help younger students in the 2021 December Junior Finals in Melbourne. Our sincere thanks go to Ms Cumming for leading these fantastic competitions and the Harrow Bangkok ‘Mathemagicians’ led by Amy (So12), Kevin (So12), Ploy (So12), Luke (N12), Sun (K12), Jinhyung (So12) and Tracy (K12).

The Mathematics Department at Harrow Bangkok continues to go from strength to strength and despite the COVID-19 restrictions, we have been able to produce some outstanding results in external examinations. In SR5, based on the outstanding work the students completed last year, CIE awarded us 74% A*-A grades for IGCSE Maths and 100% A*-B in Additional Maths. We were also awarded 100% levels 9-7 in AQA Further Mathematics and 90% levels 9-7 in IGCSE Statistics. These grades reflect a very difficult and challenging year for all which saw our students rise to the occasion. We also had external examinations in November 2020 for CIE Maths which saw 95% of all students entering scoring A*-A; a superb achievement and a full two terms earlier than the rest of Year 11. Well done to all these students who worked very hard under extraordinary circumstances.

In our Sixth Form, we had 145 students sitting over 500 separate examinations: 43 students studying the A Level Further Mathematics programme and 102 sitting the A Level Single Mathematics across Years 12 and 13. Once again, Edexcel recognised our outstanding work and strong historical performances by awarding us 85%

grade A-B for AS Level Mathematics. At A Level, we were awarded 83% A*-B for Single Maths and 100% A*-B for Further Maths. This is a fantastic achievement for all involved and a reflection of the hard work and dedication on behalf of both the students and staff.

As with each year that passes, we inevitably bid farewell to some current staff. Mr Williams will be joining London Academy as the Head of Mathematics and Ms Cumming will be joining the Ada Lovelace High School in London. Mrs Shannon will be leaving us this year to teach mathematics at Whitgift School along with Mr Shannon who takes over as Whitgift’s Head of Computing. They have been superb members of our faculty and will be sorely missed by both the students and the staff who work with them every day. We wish them all the very best for their future adventures with our sincere and heartfelt thanks for all they have brought to our school.