GCSE Maths and English are essential qualifications and form part of our Full-time programmes at John Ruskin College. Whatever your future holds it is vital that you know how to communicate effectively and how to work with numbers. These skills are an integral part of everyday life, and when applying for a job or College course you will often be asked to provide evidence that you have mastered them. Therefore, they are vital to your future success in progressing to other courses and in gaining employment.
GCSE
If you did not achieve a 9 – 4 (A* – C) grade in English Language or Maths then you will have the opportunity to retake them. GCSEs are an essential qualification to progress onto most Further and Higher Education courses; and are widely recognised and valued by employers.
Functional Skills
Functional Skills Maths and English qualifications are available from Entry 1 to Entry 2 with progression onto GCSE and Level 1 and Level 2 for Apprenticeships. Suitable for learners of all ages, they’re also an accepted part of all Apprenticeships in England., have been designed to help learners of all ages and levels, supporting them to develop and demonstrate the practical skills needed to live, learn and work successfully.
Whether you are a current or prospective student, here you will be able to find further information on who to contact within the Maths & English department, news stories of what the department gets up to and information on learning platforms that are used within the department.
Our Maths and English team are always on hand to help students with any queries during their time at John Ruskin College. They are here to help build confidence in students and support them in progressing towards their personal goals.
MEI Maths Competition
Students from East Surrey College in Redhill and John Ruskin College in Selsdon took part in the nationwide MEI Maths Competition Cluster Final 2023 at Goldsmiths University competing against 15 other institutes.
Over 25,000 students took part in the competition and 17 of our students made it to the regional final. During the final, students had to complete a Tarsia puzzle and a Kahoot quiz.
Meg Conacher, a Math Lecturer commented: “We’re exceptionally proud of all our students who took part in the Maths competition. Throughout the experience, each and every student showed growth in confidence, teamworking and determination.”
Young Writers Competition
Each year a cohort of GCSE English and Functional skills students take part in the long-established (since 1991) Young Writers Competition, which required them to write their own thrilling mini sagas. In 2023, the theme related to “Integer – Stories Inspired By Numbers”.
In the lead-up to the deadline, tutors identified 54 students with exceptional written skills, and these were entered into the competition. The competition deadline was 17 December 2022 and in total over 15,000 entries were submitted nationally. All 54 of our students were selected and have become published writers.
