GCSE Foundation Maths Scheme of Work | Years 9, 10 and 11

Home → Curriculum Hub → Maths Lessons → Schemes of Work → Three-Year GCSE Foundation

Years 9–11 · Foundation tier · Grades 1–5 · Aligned to Edexcel, AQA, OCR & WJEC

This free GCSE Foundation maths scheme of work is a three-year route from Year 9 to Year 11 for students working towards Grades 1 to 5. It is written for Heads of Mathematics and classroom teachers who need a coherent medium-term plan that sequences number, algebra, geometry, ratio and proportion, statistics and probability — with structured Year 11 revision blocks aligned to grade bands.

The scheme is fully aligned to the current 9–1 GCSE Mathematics specifications for Edexcel, AQA, OCR and WJEC. Every topic links to a dedicated teaching page; members get the full teaching package — interactive lesson, worksheet, retrieval practice and worked solutions — so departments can reduce planning time without losing coverage.

Help your GCSE Mathematics students develop calculator fluency and confidence with my ⁠free Casio GCSE calculator emulator, featuring interactive teaching tools and GCSE-style practice questions.

Related Blogs:

• Introducing Vectors with GeoGebra
• Writing a Single Column Vector

GCSE Foundation scheme at a glance

Read across a row to compare the same half-term across Years 9–11, or read down a column for the teaching sequence in that year. Each topic links to its dedicated teaching page and is tagged with its main curriculum strand.

Who is this scheme for?

The 3-Year GCSE Foundation scheme of work is designed for UK secondary mathematics departments that begin GCSE in Year 9 and run a Foundation tier route for students working towards Grades 1–5. It also fits international British-curriculum schools delivering Edexcel, AQA, OCR or WJEC GCSE Mathematics.

• Heads of Mathematics writing a 3-year Foundation MTP and wanting one consistent backbone every Foundation teacher can follow.
• Classroom teachers of Foundation classes in Years 9, 10 and 11 who need ready-made teaching resources for every topic plus structured Grade 1–3 and Grade 4–5 revision in Year 11.
• Heads of intervention / GCSE booster leads using the Spring revision blocks as the backbone of after-school or holiday sessions.
• Early career and trainee teachers looking for clear sequences, modelled examples and worked solutions to support confident first delivery.
• Tutors and home educators preparing students for a Foundation tier paper and wanting a structured route they can follow week by week.

What’s included

A complete medium-term plan for three years of GCSE Foundation mathematics (Years 9–11), with every topic linked through to teaching resources:

• Year-by-year, term-by-term sequence across Years 9, 10 and 11 (6 half-terms × 3 years).
• Foundation-tier focus — topics and revision blocks chosen to support students aiming for Grades 1–5.
• Strand-balanced coverage across Number, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics and Ratio & Proportion.
• Direct links to every topic page — teaching overview, prerequisites, key concepts and common misconceptions.
• Member access to the full interactive lesson, printable worksheet, retrieval practice and worked solutions for every topic.
• Spring revision pathways — organised revision blocks for Grades 1–3 and Grades 4–5 in Year 11 Spring terms.
• Free 5-Year Curriculum PDF for the 2-Year KS3 + 3-Year GCSE model — useful for whole-school curriculum mapping.

How to use this scheme

Each year is divided into six half-terms (Autumn 1 through Summer 2) with topics in the order shown. Allow roughly 2–3 weeks per topic depending on your timetable and set structure. Reorder, combine or extend topics to match your classes — the scheme is a backbone, not a straitjacket.

Many departments embed retrieval practice, low-stakes quizzes and short cumulative review between topics. The sequence revisits core ideas across Years 9–11 (for example percentages, graphs and geometry) so students meet familiar ideas in new contexts before the Year 11 revision blocks. Pair the topic pages with Mr Mathematics retrieval starter tasks for daily recall.

Curriculum rationale

The route is designed so Year 9 consolidates essential number, statistics and geometry while introducing algebraic structure, then Year 10 broadens ratio, graphs, equations and measures, and Year 11 prioritises high-leverage Foundation topics before targeted Spring revision for different grade bands.

• Year 9 — secures core number and shape work, introduces key statistical representations and early algebraic generalisation.
• Year 10 — develops multiplicative reasoning, sequences, graphs and geometric constructions while building fluency with percentages and data collection.
• Year 11 — emphasises formulae, indices, graphs, trigonometry, simultaneous equations and measures, then moves into structured revision for Grades 1–3 and 4–5 in the Spring terms.

Students who have followed the 3-Year KS3 scheme of work or 2-Year KS3 scheme of work should enter Year 9 with strong prerequisites for this GCSE sequence. For international centres, see the IGCSE Foundation scheme of work.

Related schemes of work

Frequently asked questions

Is this scheme suitable for all exam boards?

Yes. The Foundation tier content is mapped to the current 9–1 GCSE Mathematics specifications for Edexcel, AQA, OCR and WJEC, including formulae and proof; ratio and proportion; statistics, probability and geometry; and Foundation algebraic methods. The sequence covers every topic in the assessment objectives for AO1 (use and apply standard techniques), AO2 (reason, interpret and communicate) and AO3 (solve problems). For the full set of curriculum routes, see the schemes of work hub.

How long does each topic take to teach?

Most Foundation topics in this scheme run for 2–3 weeks (around 6–9 lessons), with longer time on high-leverage Foundation areas such as percentages, ratio, fractions and graphs, and slightly less on consolidation topics. Each half-term is sized to fit comfortably into a UK school term, leaving deliberate time for retrieval, low-stakes assessment and a mock exam window in Year 11.

How should we use the Year 11 Spring revision blocks?

The Year 11 Spring terms include targeted revision for different grade bands. After Autumn assessments or mock papers, departments typically align teaching groups to Grades 1–3 revision or Grades 4–5 revision (and their Spring 2 equivalents). The two pathways share core retrieval but vary in depth and access (e.g. ratio and proportion problem types, Pythagoras and trigonometry confidence, multi-step percentage problems). This makes it straightforward to tier intervention between secure pass candidates and Grade 4 boundary candidates.

What if our students followed a 2-Year KS3?

If GCSE begins in Year 9 after a condensed KS3, this 3-year Foundation route remains appropriate from Year 9 — the early sequence (number properties, representing data, 2D shapes, negative numbers, algebraic expressions) revisits core KS3 ideas at GCSE depth so any gaps are addressed. The 2-Year KS3 scheme of work shows the KS3 content that typically precedes Year 9 in that model.

Can students move between Foundation and Higher mid-course?

Yes. The Foundation and Higher schemes are deliberately aligned in sequence so it is straightforward for a student to move tier at the end of Year 9, Year 10 or following a mock window. Foundation topics that also feature on the Higher specification (percentages, ratio and proportion, Pythagoras, trigonometry, simultaneous equations) appear at similar points in both schemes, which simplifies the transition for mid-course movers.

Where are the lesson presentations and worksheets?

Full interactive lessons, printable worksheets, retrieval practice and worked solutions for every topic are available through Mr Mathematics membership. The scheme of work itself — including every topic link, the curriculum rationale and the 5-Year Curriculum PDF — remains free to view and download.