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Total Maths Newsletter

Hello Colleague

We hope this term has been good for your so far and that your students’ preparation for the upcoming exam series is going well. 😊

Timetables for the forthcoming summer 2025 exam series are available from our Key dates and timetables webpage.

We’re currently recruiting for a question paper author, for Core Maths B H869/02: Statistical problem solving. The deadline for applying for this role is Sunday 11 May.

If you have students taking our Entry Level Certificate in Maths (R449), remember the deadline for submitting marks for moderation is Thursday 15 May. Forms are available from Teach Cambridge.

National Numeracy Day takes place this year on Wednesday 21 May and will be focussing on money. Take a look at the official website for plenty of fantastic events and activities you can sign up to.

As always, if you have any queries or need further support, please get in touch. We're here to support you as you deliver our qualifications.

Neil, Caroline, Amy, Steven and Ruth - your OCR Maths Subject Advisors 

maths@ocr.org.uk
@OCR_Maths
01223 553998
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GCSE (9-1) Maths – Recommendations for Change podcast
Students in lesson

We’ve recently been talking a lot about our recommendations for change in GCSE (9-1) Maths.

To help you get up to speed, last month we sat down with Twinkl Educational Publishing to talk all about the proposals and their potential for improving the experiences of maths for all, in particular for resit students.

The podcast lasts 20 minutes, so it's a great way to quickly boost your understanding of the ideas for change. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you have a moment to share your feedback, please email maths@ocr.org.uk or send us a direct message on social media at @OCR_Maths.

Listen on Apple  Listen on Spotify
GCSE (9-1) Maths developers

We’ve begun recruiting for GCSE (9-1) Maths developers, to develop and/or revise high-quality teaching and learning resources, sample assessment materials and other documents for our new qualification.

If you’re interested, please see our online developer page for further information.

We look forward to hearing from you soon! 😊
Student sitting exams

GCSE (9-1) Maths developers
GCSE (9-1) Maths 1 & 2 mark tests
Person using calculator

We recently published a set of ‘1 & 2 mark tests’ for GCSE (9-1) Maths Foundation tier students, a brand-new resource ready for use during revision.

Each test is created entirely of 1 and 2 mark exam questions. Three tests are now available, comprising two calculator tests and one non-calculator test (to help students prepare for the structure of the actual qualification exams).

The resources can be used as a low-stakes introduction to past papers, with short, accessible and achievable questions that will help build students’ confidence ready for sitting the actual exams.

Download them now from Teach Cambridge (look in the ‘Exams’ section for ‘Practice materials’). Mark schemes are included.

Teach Cambridge
Upcoming professional development

Below you’ll find dates of our professional development courses coming up this term. Head over to our maths professional development webpage for more information and to book your place now.

  • Wednesday 21 May – Developing problem-solving skills in pure maths for A Level Maths A and A Level Maths B (MEI)
  • Tuesday 24 June – Choosing OCR GCSE (9-1) Maths

Materials from past courses are available to you to download from Teach Cambridge. Select your qualification, then in the menu go to ‘Training’, then ‘Past training events’.

 
Teachers talking

Maths professional development
Upcoming maths Teacher Networks
Teacher Networks

We have a number of our popular Teacher Networks coming up this term. These are completely free to attend and are set up to bring maths teachers together, so we can share relevant updates, answer your questions, discuss best practice collectively and more. Book your place now to any of the below.

 
  • Tuesday 13 May – A Level Maths (online) – We’ll focus on end of year 12 activities and look ahead towards the new academic year.
  • Wednesday 18 June – Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths (online) – We’ll look back at the summer 2025 question paper and ideas for supporting students’ progress from GCSE (9-1) Maths to A level Maths.
  • Tuesday 24 June – A Level Maths (online) – We’ll review the summer 2025 question papers and how to support student transition from GCSE (9-1) Maths to A level Maths.
  • Wednesday 25 June – GCSE (9-1) Maths (online) – We’ll reflect over the past year and look ahead to the next, as well as share our latest resources update and an overview of the support that will be available from results day.

Whether you’re already teaching a qualification or just interested in learning more, you’re very welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there. 😊

If you’d be interested in running a future face to face network at your school, please let us know.

Maths Teacher Networks
Our latest blogs

Steven has recently published a couple of blogs supporting our qualifications.

In ‘Getting more from past papers’, Steven looks at the range of exam materials available to you (question papers, mark schemes, examiners’ reports and more) and how both you and students can get the most from using these. 
Person reading our blog on a tablet

Also newly published is ‘A Level Maths: impact and insights from the reform’, in which Steven summarises the discussions from his session at last month’s Joint Conference of Mathematics Subject Associations, reviewing the A Level Maths reform.

Maths blogs

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