This is an investigation (including teacher notes and worksheets) which is suitable for GCSE maths students, though higher ability KS3 students should be able to complete it. The problem students have to answer is ‘Can you find a formula to find out the total possible number of half-time scores if you know the full-time score of a football match?’ Probability is the main topic covered (listing outcomes, formula for total number of outcomes) as well as algebra topics such as expanding brackets, sequences, factorising and generalising formulae. Pupils can probably work on this independently with some teacher input in setting up the investigation and prompting pupils.

A handy set of starters to do with topics involved in KS3 Geometry: angles, volume of 3-D shapes, constructing angles, transformations, properties of shapes and angle laws. These are excellent to start a lesson off, as ‘settlers’ to get students on task and also to test prior knowledge of a topic.

This is a short maths test aimed at pupils in KS3. It could be used as a baseline assessment to determine their level at the start of a year as it covers the majority of the basic skills- working out the area and perimeter of a shape, ordering decimals, simplifying fractions and so forth needed to succeed at Mathematics.

This investigation is an effective way of introducing triangular numbers for those in KS3 and gets students to explore the sequence of triangular numbers through shapes and their properties. Pupils could build the triangular numbers using mutli-link cubes or something similar and gives students a visual representation of them. Others topics touched by this resource are formulae, properties of number and volume of 3-D shapes.

This resource gets students to investigate how to find a formula for the triangular numbers through the investigating the number of football teams play each other in a round robin. This resource is suitable for GCSE students and more able KS3 students. Students are then guided through an investigation to see a step-by-step derivation for the algebraic nth term for the sequence of triangular numbers. This would be an excellent way of introducing how to find the nth term of quadratic sequences as pupils will be familiar with the triangular numbers sequence.

This resource handily introduces compound interest to more able KS3 groups and GCSE in the form of adding interest to a bank account. Other topics covered include percentages and decimal multipliers. This resource is an investigation (with teacher notes and accompanying worksheets) which gets students to investigate whether how often interest is added to a bank account effects the total amount of interest. The problem is so: I invest £1,000 in a savings account at an interest rate of 3.1% p.a. for one year. What interval at which the interest is paid will get me the most money? The students can then be guided to calculating the total amount of interest when it is added, daily montly etc. before being guided to an overall formula to solve the problem.

A worksheet which includes 10 questions each on percentage increase and decrease. This resource is mainly suitable for KS3 students, although it may also benefit GCSE Foundation students. As well as increasing or decreasing a number by a certain percentage, worded questions involving VAT are also included. This resource has multiple applications: it could be useful as a check of the prior knowledge of students or to check their understanding of what has been taught as a summative test or included as the main activity within a lesson.

This excellent Powerpoint contains a whole lesson for pupils on finding the area and perimeter of 2-D shapes such as squares, rectangles and triangles. It also contains plenty of questions for pupils to attempt including standard, skill-based questions and extension questions which challenge the students to think laterally. Equally suitable for KS3 and GCSE Maths Foundation Groups.

This resource is aimed as an extension activity for higher ability learners as it asks questions in a worded form on Circumference and Area. Useful as an extension, plenary or to consolidate learning of pupils.

A Powerpoint for KS3 and GCSE Foundation Students which helps them to recognise and draw nets of 3-D shapes (including Cubes, Cuboids and Triangular Based Prisms). There is sufficient material in the Powerpoint to cover a whole lesson. This could be used as the lesson before teaching students how to work out the surface area of 3-D shapes. In this resource, the pupils are taught how to recognise 3-D shapes before being scaffolded through how to draw them with worked examples of how to draw cuboids and cubes. There are questions for students to complete. The Powerpoint is quite interactive and there is also a strong cross-curricular link with Literacy.

A comprehensive set of GCSE (foundation and higher) exam questions on relative frequency. Other topics covered include basic probability and scatter graphs. These could be used in a lesson or revision sessions and are also useful for students to take home and practice by themselves.

A really useful resource which is tests KS3 pupils on their understanding of mode, median, mean and range. This could also be used as a summative test of pupils’ knowledge or as a homework/revision task and is suitable for GCSE foundation students as well.

This is an excellent Powerpoint covering all the topics in Percentages at KS3 including converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, finding a percentage of an amount, the unitary method and percentage increase/decrease. Suitable for a revision session (exam practice), a summative test for students and to check and refresh their prior knowledge of percentages…

An excellent revision resource, this is a powerpoint of a set of exam questions on Quadratic Equations for GCSE Higher students. Topics covered include factorising, solving quadratic equations, the quadratic formula, completing the square, trial and improvement and algebraic fractions. All answers are included in the Powerpoint.

A Powerpoint including a full lesson or lessons covering Relative Frequency for KS3/GCSE Foundation Maths. The Powerpoint includes definitions of Relative Frequency and Theoretical Probabilities and guided examples of how to calculate them both. It also has questions on Relative Frequency including exam practice. Could be used as a full lesson or as part of a revision activity for pupils.

This is a Powerpoint teaching students how to find the interior and exterior angles of a polygon. It is equally suitable for KS3 and GCSE Foundation Maths students. There is sufficient material in the Powerpoint for at least 1 lesson, possibly 2 depending on how fast your class covers the content. The powerpoint shows pupils how to work out the interior and exterior angles of a polygon, firstly by providing them with key terms to learn, then by allowing them to investigate the link between the sum of the interior angles in a shape and the number of sides it has, before linking that to the exterior angle of a polygon. Other topics covered by this Powerpoint include: properties of shape, angle laws, generalising and substitution.

A Powerpoint on writing equations and formulae for KS3 and GCSE Foundation Maths Students. The Powerpoint contains enough material for a whole lesson. As well as showing pupils how to write expressions and formulae, this Powerpoint also covers how to substitute numbers into formulae, with real-life worked examples provided. Plenty of questions are included for pupils to attempt with an extension of solving equations to test more able pupils.

A whole lesson on standard form for more able KS3 maths groups and GCSE classes. Pupils are taught the definition of standard form, how to express numbers in standard form and how to evaluate standard form expressions. The laws of indices are also recapped. In this lesson there is a strong emphasis on mathematical notation and precision.

An investigation into the number of factors a number has. This resource gets pupils to devise a formula to work out the number of factors a number has. This investigation should take up a whole lesson, or could be set as a homework task. Topics covered include: factors, multiples, prime numbers, prime factor decomposition, powers and roots. This investigation is particularly useful in getting pupils to become familiar with mathematical notation. This resource is probably more suitable for GCSE students than KS3 pupils, though the investigation is very flexible- the teacher can progress to further stages of the investigation for more able groups.

In this highly interactive group task students are encouraged to move around the classroom to find a fellow student who can tell them the definition of one of the 16 words on their worksheet which all relate to the KS3 Maths syllabus (mode, equation, perimeter etc.). This task encourages mathematical discussion and for pupils to become familiar with terminology used on the course as well as promoting literacy and cross-curricular links. This could be used as a starter activity in the lesson to engage pupils or as part of a stand-alone revision lesson reinforcing pupils’ knowledge of key words used throughout KS3 Maths.