Pride & professionalism • Relationships • Aspirations • Integrity • Social justice • Empowerment & accountability
SUCCESS
STORIES
Tya Patel Head Girl at The Crest
Academy, achieved ten GCSEs A*–C,
including one A* and three As. She
highlighted especially her teachers’
dedication, of whom she said “they
went above and beyond” to allow
her to achieve these astounding results.
Tya is now setting her sights on
obtaining the right post-16 qualifications
to go to university.
Ameena Hassan joined The Crest
Academy in Year 10, having been
raised in Singapore. She achieved 14
A*–C results, including 5 A*s and 7 As.
Ameena has a particular flair for maths,
and, despite being in Year 11, received
an A grade this summer when she sat her
A Level. She is hoping that these fantastic
accomplishments help her realise her
ambition of studying at Cambridge.
Mather Nori achieved 14 A*-C grades,
including six A*s and five As, helping
her to become The Crest Academy’s
top performer in 2016. She had a work
placement organised for the summer,
and is hoping to study engineering at
Oxbridge. Her advice to future students is
that you can only be successful at GCSE
through being well organised.
Mathematics Mastery
at The Crest Academy
You may have seen the subject of Mathematics Mastery raised in the media over
the past few years, but what does it mean for Crest students? Mathematics Mastery
is a programme that works in partnership with select schools to embed a mastery
approach to mathematics teaching. The aim of the programme is to improve pupils’
understanding, enjoyment and attainment in mathematics.
We have extremely high expectations for every child at Crest, and through the
mastery programme we teach fewer topics in greater depth, with an emphasis
on problem-solving and conceptual understanding.
The key principles of mastery underpins all the work that we do:
Problem-solving
Mathematical problem-solving is at the
heart of our approach. Students are
encouraged to identify, understand and
apply relevant mathematical principles,
allowing students to develop the skills
required to tackle new problems rather
than simply repeating routines without
grasping the principles. Depth before breadth
All learners benefit from deepening
their conceptual understanding of
mathematics, regardless of whether
they’ve previously struggled or excelled.
We believe students must be given time
to fully understand, explore and apply
ideas – rather than accelerate through
new topics.
High expectations
At Crest we believe that no child should
be left behind. Our focus is on students
‘keeping up over catching up’. By
making high expectations clear, learners
are encouraged to build confidence and
resilience. Growth mindset
The abilities of our students are not
inherent, but can be developed through
practice, support, dedication and hard
work. ‘Natural talent’ is just a starting
point and does not determine who has
more or less potential to achieve.
Concrete, pictorial, abstract
Objects, pictures, words, numbers and
symbols are everywhere. Our approach
incorporates all of these to help students
explore and demonstrate mathematical
ideas, enrich their learning experience
and deepen understanding. Mathematical language
The way in which students speak and
write about mathematics transforms their
learning. We use a carefully sequenced,
structured approach to introduce and
reinforce mathematical vocabulary.