Curriculum for Excellence · BGE & Senior Phase

Know the course. Practise the paper. Turn up ready.

One calm home for every mathematics course at Madras High School — the outline your child is actually studying, past papers, department practice assessments, and the key dates that matter.

Explore all 14 courses See key dates
14 Courses covered
8 Senior phase qualifications
120+ Practice questions
S1–S6 All year groups
Marking instructions included
National 5 Mathematics
Senior Phase · SCQF Level 5
Course outline What's covered, unit by unit Open Past papers SQA papers & marking schemes PDF Practice assessments Department tests with answers New Key dates Prelims & parents' evenings 2026
Updated by our teachers
Qualifications covered BGE S1–S3 National 4 National 5 Higher Advanced Higher Applications of Mathematics

Built for pupils & parents

Everything needed for the next assessment, in one place

No hunting through school bags or scrolling through group chats. Each course page holds the same three things, laid out the same way, every time.

Course outlines that match the classroom

The exact units, topics and skills being taught this session — written by the teachers who deliver them, not copied from a generic website.

Past papers with marking instructions

SQA papers and marking schemes, organised by year and by paper, so practice is realistic and marking at home is straightforward.

Practice assessments with answers

Department-written example questions for forthcoming assessments — the same style and difficulty as the real thing, with solutions to check understanding.

Key dates, clearly stated

Prelims, unit assessments and parents' evenings listed by course and by year group — so nothing is discovered the night before.

Written for parents too

Plain-English explanations of how each course is assessed, what "National 5 Applications" really means, and where the pressure points fall.

Works beautifully on a phone

Designed mobile-first and tested on school devices. Open it on the bus, at the kitchen table, or five minutes before a period starts.

Course library

Every course we teach, from S1 to Advanced Higher

Choose your child's year group and level. In the Senior Phase, the resource page for each qualification is one tap away.

2026 session · outlines confirmed
BGE · S1Level 2

S1 Mathematics — Level 2

A confident start: number, money and measure, shape and space, and everyday problem solving.

View course & resources
BGE · S1Level 3

S1 Mathematics — Level 3

Building fluency across all four CfE organisers, with algebraic thinking introduced early.

View course & resources
BGE · S2Level 3

S2 Mathematics — Level 3

Consolidating core skills and closing gaps before the pace lifts in Level 4.

View course & resources
BGE · S2Level 4

S2 Mathematics — Level 4

Proportion, percentages, brackets and equations — the launchpad into the Senior Phase.

View course & resources

How it works

Three taps to the right revision materials

Each course page is structured identically: Course outline, Past papers and Practice assessments. Once you have used one page, you can use them all.

  • Find the right course. Choose BGE or Senior Phase, then match the year and level on your child's timetable.
  • Open the outline. See exactly which topics are being taught this term and how the course is assessed.
  • Download and practise. Print the practice assessment, work through the past paper, then mark it against the scheme.
Browse the course library See an example page
National 5 Mathematics · Resources
Key dates · Senior Phase

Why families use it

Less guesswork at home. More confidence in the exam hall.

Parents tell us the hardest part of supporting maths is not knowing what is coming next. This site answers that in seconds.

  • No more "I don't know what to revise." The outline shows the topics, so revision starts with a list rather than a guess.
  • Realistic practice. Questions written in the style and standard of the actual assessment, so there are no nasty surprises.
  • Dates you can plan around. Prelims, assessments and parents' evenings in one place, visible months in advance.
  • Support that matches the class. Everything here is produced or curated by Madras mathematics teachers.

Key dates

The year at a glance

Provisional dates for the current session. Exact dates for each course are also listed on the individual course pages, and are confirmed by the school in advance.

Provisional key assessment and parents' evening dates for the 2026 session
When What Who
Sep 2026 Course outlines published
All 14 course pages live for the new session		 S1–S6
Oct 2026 S1 settling-in parents' evening
Meet the mathematics department		 S1
Nov 2026 Unit assessments
Practice papers published two weeks ahead		 S4–S6
Jan 2027 Prelim examinations
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher		 S4–S6
Feb 2027 BGE assessment window
S1–S3 end-of-block assessments		 S1–S3
Mar 2027 Senior Phase parents' evening
Progress and pathway discussion		 S4–S6
Apr–Jun 2027 SQA examination diet
Final revision packs published before study leave		 S4–S6
Dates are provisional and may change. Always check the school app or your child's course page for the confirmed date.

From our families

Used at kitchen tables across Musselburgh

Parents and pupils using the site through the prelim and exam season.

"I finally understand what my daughter is actually being taught in Higher. The course outline alone took the panic out of parents' evening."

Alison M. Parent · Higher Mathematics

"The practice assessments are the same shape as the real thing. I did one a week before my N5 prelim and went in feeling calm for the first time."

Katie M. Pupil · S4

"Knowing the dates in advance means we can plan around study leave instead of finding out the night before. Simple idea, well done."

David R. Parent · S2 and S5

Questions

Good to know

If something is not answered here, the department is always happy to help.

All fourteen courses we run: six in the Broad General Education (S1–S3, Levels 2–4 and the two S3 pathways) and eight in the Senior Phase — National 4 and 5 Mathematics and Applications of Mathematics, Higher Mathematics and Applications of Mathematics, and Advanced Higher Mathematics and Mechanics.

Open the S1 Level 2 or S1 Level 3 page — whichever matches the level on your child's timetable. If you are unsure, ask their teacher; classes are set by level, not by year alone.

Past papers and marking instructions are published by the SQA and reproduced here for pupils at Madras High School. Practice assessments, revision packs and course outlines are written by our own mathematics department and are not endorsed by the SQA.

No. Every outline, paper and practice assessment is open to pupils and parents without signing in. Files are PDFs and can be printed or saved for offline study.

Course outlines are refreshed at the start of each session. Practice assessments are added before each assessment window, and key dates are updated as soon as the school calendar is confirmed — usually weekly through the prelim period.

Mathematics is the more algebraic and abstract course, leading towards Higher Mathematics. Applications of Mathematics focuses on using maths in real-life contexts — finance, measurement, statistics and planning — and is equally valued for college, apprenticeship and university pathways. Both are available at National 4, National 5 and Higher.

Stay ahead of the assessment

Never miss a prelim, a parents' evening or a new practice paper

Join the department mailing list for a short monthly note: what is coming up, which resources are new, and how to help at home. No more than one email a month.

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