Surrey maths school

Reply 40

JesseRatala

4

Original post

by H3kubz

but this school hasnt gotten their first set of results yet i though

Yes but I think just go tiffin

Reply 41

H3kubz

6

Original post

by barca_fan

Being a student at sums, depends on what u think is best. This school is fast paced and very committed to maths, allowing you to excel. We don't even have our first results yet, so you're gonna have to take a gamble on that tho.

how is the teaching like and how do clubs work , im looking forwards to the robotics club and do u guys have free periods and how long are your break , do u have like support for ucas apps or step/tmua prep? , sry if its alot of questions

Reply 42

Uncrown0400

3

Original post

by H3kubz

how is the teaching like and how do clubs work , im looking forwards to the robotics club and do u guys have free periods and how long are your break , do u have like support for ucas apps or step/tmua prep? , sry if its alot of questions

Hi I'm also a current Y12 at SuMS! The teaching at SuMS seems to be very dependent on the teacher that you get, by that I mean that the teachers are all free to teach in their own personal style, so some use PowerPoints, others will just use a whiteboard and pen and others have crazy desmos graphs and simulations, but especially for maths, the teaching is really high quality and they definitely know what they are doing(lots of the teachers used to be heads of department and stuff). Clubs are pretty much all student run, so if there's a club you wanna start, then you are able to. At the beginning of the year, we had a big clubs fair so we could see what all the pre-existing ones were about. Everyone has at least 4 free periods at the moment, and if you do 3 A levels, i think you get about 10! At the moment, break is 20 mins long and lunch is 50 mins, but Ive heard they are thinking about changing it for next year, so it might not be the same if/when you join. In terms of entrance exam prep, in Y12 we have a lesson every week for problem solving, which we do questions and content beyond the curriculum, which often shows up in uni entrance exams/maths challenge papers, and I think that there is a "Challenge" lesson In Y13 for students preparing specifically for entrance exams. In cant comment on ucas yet as i haven't been through it, but the results for the a levels and unis people go to will probably be released before gcse results day, so you would be able to know a lot more about uni destinations then. Sorry for the huge paragraph, but lmk if you have any other questions!

Reply 43

H3kubz

6

Original post

by Uncrown0400

Hi I'm also a current Y12 at SuMS! The teaching at SuMS seems to be very dependent on the teacher that you get, by that I mean that the teachers are all free to teach in their own personal style, so some use PowerPoints, others will just use a whiteboard and pen and others have crazy desmos graphs and simulations, but especially for maths, the teaching is really high quality and they definitely know what they are doing(lots of the teachers used to be heads of department and stuff). Clubs are pretty much all student run, so if there's a club you wanna start, then you are able to. At the beginning of the year, we had a big clubs fair so we could see what all the pre-existing ones were about. Everyone has at least 4 free periods at the moment, and if you do 3 A levels, i think you get about 10! At the moment, break is 20 mins long and lunch is 50 mins, but Ive heard they are thinking about changing it for next year, so it might not be the same if/when you join. In terms of entrance exam prep, in Y12 we have a lesson every week for problem solving, which we do questions and content beyond the curriculum, which often shows up in uni entrance exams/maths challenge papers, and I think that there is a "Challenge" lesson In Y13 for students preparing specifically for entrance exams. In cant comment on ucas yet as i haven't been through it, but the results for the a levels and unis people go to will probably be released before gcse results day, so you would be able to know a lot more about uni destinations then. Sorry for the huge paragraph, but lmk if you have any other questions!

nice , idm to bother , just 1 more question what r the average predicteds atm , is it a strong school interms of grades and do u guys write the senior maths challenge or physics olypiad?

Reply 44

henrycomeon

11

Original post

by H3kubz

nice , idm to bother , just 1 more question what r the average predicteds atm , is it a strong school interms of grades and do u guys write the senior maths challenge or physics olypiad?

hey, I'm in y13 and we have about 70% A* predictions, and the other 30% are As (with a couple of Bs but thats about it)
we do do the senior maths challenge and physics olympiad, and also Bebras computing challenge, chemistry olympiad, and economics essay competitions.

Reply 45

Strawbesrry

1

Original post

by H3kubz

guys i have a question do u think it would be more benificial for me to go here or to go to tiffin grammer , around the same distance from me

As someone who was in your place a few years ago with the same options, I would say make sure you check which environment fits you the most. You will be spending a while in sixth form, although time will go fast, and you need to be in a place where you feel the most comfortable to study and enjoy your time at. Saying that, SuMS does have great facilities to study and it is easier to approach teachers, but if you do feel that a livelier setting would suit you more then Tiffins. For more clarity, SuMS is not just a typical maths school you would expect, it does have some great clubs, societies and sports events you can take part in, and it should be taken into account that Tiffins has that 'secondary school' setting rather than a ''college'' one. I would say the best thing to take into account is the setting which you will prosper in and enjoy the most

Reply 46

grah-

11

@Strawbesrry @henrycomeon @Uncrown0400 + to anyone else who is currently a SuMS student:
How is the student body? This will obviously differ between years but my only main consideration stopping me from being 100% on SuMS for next year is the fact the cohort I will be in will be much smaller -and probably more similar minded if that makes sense- than the other more typical places around me. I'm pretty big on socialising with a variety of people, and since I'll obviously be spending a lot of time where I'm being taught a-levels it feels like a gamble--

Reply 47

henrycomeon

11

Original post

by grah-

@Strawbesrry @henrycomeon @Uncrown0400 + to anyone else who is currently a SuMS student:
How is the student body? This will obviously differ between years but my only main consideration stopping me from being 100% on SuMS for next year is the fact the cohort I will be in will be much smaller -and probably more similar minded if that makes sense- than the other more typical places around me. I'm pretty big on socialising with a variety of people, and since I'll obviously be spending a lot of time where I'm being taught a-levels it feels like a gamble--

great question! this was a concern of mine when i joined sums too, and i didnt even have anyone to ask about it as we are the first cohort so it was a real gamble!
i cant speak from year to year because people differ, but generally, because we all have this shared passion for maths and mathematical sciences, we tend to have a lot of common interests too if that makes sense? i am generalising here, but that is the case. you get all kinds of people, some who are 10000% invested in studying, some who are more relaxed, some who are quieter and some who are loud and crazy. it is really fun! you get a good mix of people, and it isnt just one stereotypical type of person lol

Reply 48

H3kubz

6

After having gone to sums , if u went back in time to GCSE's would u consider to like a grammer or would u stay at sums

Reply 49

henrycomeon

11

Original post

by H3kubz

After having gone to sums , if u went back in time to GCSE's would u consider to like a grammer or would u stay at sums

i would only consider a grammar school if i wanted to do non maths a levels personally! sometimes i think that if i had gone back in time, i would have chosen history/geo a levels alonside maths and fm, but that would have been the only reason. the overall environment, standard of teaching, and oxbridge support is equivalent to what you would likely expect at a grammar school

Reply 50

Strawbesrry

1

Original post

by H3kubz

After having gone to sums , if u went back in time to GCSE's would u consider to like a grammer or would u stay at sums

I was both a grammar school student and a SuMS student. In my opinion, I think it depends. In terms of maths departments, I felt that my old grammar school maths department was perfectly fine but SuMS does have a great mathematical environment, since everyone does maths. It depends on a lot of factors. How is the department at both schools, how is the travel, and whether you do actually have a great passion for maths. When considering these factors, I would have chosen my old school just for the distance and because their mathematical department was already strong. But I do appreciate the extra things I have learnt from being at SuMS like mathematical derivations, uni exams prep (TMUA etc.). It is all up to your comfort, subjects and future aspirations at the end. Make sure you try get more information from pupils from that grammar school too about their maths department.

(edited 4 weeks ago)

Surrey maths school

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