Secondary maths
From 11 onwards I've done one of two things with my children. Those who are very good at maths have moved straight onto a GCSE or IGCSE prep book and taken the exam at 14. Many parents choose maths as one of the earliest exams to put an able child in for, and if you think this might be the case for your child, it makes sense to do this rather than hold your child back just because he wouldn't be doing GCSE work in school. Plenty of advanced children have done extremely well in maths at 13, and even younger.
On the other hand, if you have a child who struggles with maths, you'll probably want to work through a more foundational KS3 course such as Letts KS3 Complete Course Book. Lonsdale also offer a complete KS3 coursebook in their 'Essentials' series. This is meant to cover all three KS3 years (11-14) but I have to say we found it quite 'light' as a prep for GCSE. You could use it in one year (two at most) as a revision course before moving on to a GCSE text. Both books have answers are included at the back of the text which is very helpful.
Alternatively (or in addition), you might feel your child needs extra explanations and practice, and for this many parents use an online course such as Conquermaths. This popular programme covers the whole UK maths syllabus from Reception to A level and is very affordable with a hefty discount for home-educators. In fact, each year it is possible to obtain a group discount via the home-ed exams Io group (it works out at about £30 for the year per child to access ALL stages of the course). We have used this at Key Stage 3 for a child who needed more than just a textbook explanation, and once for GCSE, in combination with a good textbook. This kind of support might not be necessary if your child is good at maths.
More recently, my daughter who seriously struggles with maths has been using this free site: Dr Frost Maths and for the first time ever actually doesn't dread daily maths!
GCSE/IGCSE Level
Both GCSE and IGCSE are available to us, and since the GCSE reforms, both are of a similar standard (IGCSE used to be much more difficult). Whichever exam you opt for, you will need to choose whether to enter your child for Foundation or Higher tier, the difference being that in the 9-1 grading system, the Higher level covers grades 9 (A**) down to 4 (C); the Foundation level covers grades 1- 4 (i.e., grade 4 is the highest possible grade achievable).
There are many textbooks to choose from for this subject, though maths GCSE textbooks are notorious for being full of errors! This is particularly the case with brand new books which have not been edited/revised, so if you are buying a brand new book do be aware of the problem. One of the most popular textbooks for GCSE is the one produced by CPG. If like me you have been put off CGP by the overly-busy , crammed pages and the bad jokes, be assured that this book is quite a standard textbook, and one of the better ones. All answers are included.
One of the most popular textbooks amongst home-educators is Alan Smith's IGCSE Mathematics for Edexcel. This is a link to the older version: if you buy this version second hand, make sure you are getting the CD ROM as this has the answers to all the questions - though they should also, fingers crossed, be available here as a google document. A newer edition of this book is available. Alan Smith has also written a newer book for the Edexcel GCSE syllabus which has downloadable answers.
Past papers
As with all these exams, doing plenty of past papers is the key to attaining a good grade. If you mark the papers with the exam board's mark scheme in hand (and the examiner's report) you will be able to guide your child towards getting the most marks possible. In maths, children who find the subject easy often lose marks because they don't write down their working out ('It's all so blindingly obvious, do I really have to write it all down?' as one of my sons lamented). Yes, you do. It is in fact possible to get every sum right but show no workings and come out with a C, or to get most sums wrong but get most of the working out right and come out with a B. Do both and you'll get a high grade!
From 11 onwards I've done one of two things with my children. Those who are very good at maths have moved straight onto a GCSE or IGCSE prep book and taken the exam at 14. Many parents choose maths as one of the earliest exams to put an able child in for, and if you think this might be the case for your child, it makes sense to do this rather than hold your child back just because he wouldn't be doing GCSE work in school. Plenty of advanced children have done extremely well in maths at 13, and even younger.
On the other hand, if you have a child who struggles with maths, you'll probably want to work through a more foundational KS3 course such as Letts KS3 Complete Course Book. Lonsdale also offer a complete KS3 coursebook in their 'Essentials' series. This is meant to cover all three KS3 years (11-14) but I have to say we found it quite 'light' as a prep for GCSE. You could use it in one year (two at most) as a revision course before moving on to a GCSE text. Both books have answers are included at the back of the text which is very helpful.
Alternatively (or in addition), you might feel your child needs extra explanations and practice, and for this many parents use an online course such as Conquermaths. This popular programme covers the whole UK maths syllabus from Reception to A level and is very affordable with a hefty discount for home-educators. In fact, each year it is possible to obtain a group discount via the home-ed exams Io group (it works out at about £30 for the year per child to access ALL stages of the course). We have used this at Key Stage 3 for a child who needed more than just a textbook explanation, and once for GCSE, in combination with a good textbook. This kind of support might not be necessary if your child is good at maths.
More recently, my daughter who seriously struggles with maths has been using this free site: Dr Frost Maths and for the first time ever actually doesn't dread daily maths!
GCSE/IGCSE Level
Both GCSE and IGCSE are available to us, and since the GCSE reforms, both are of a similar standard (IGCSE used to be much more difficult). Whichever exam you opt for, you will need to choose whether to enter your child for Foundation or Higher tier, the difference being that in the 9-1 grading system, the Higher level covers grades 9 (A**) down to 4 (C); the Foundation level covers grades 1- 4 (i.e., grade 4 is the highest possible grade achievable).
There are many textbooks to choose from for this subject, though maths GCSE textbooks are notorious for being full of errors! This is particularly the case with brand new books which have not been edited/revised, so if you are buying a brand new book do be aware of the problem. One of the most popular textbooks for GCSE is the one produced by CPG. If like me you have been put off CGP by the overly-busy , crammed pages and the bad jokes, be assured that this book is quite a standard textbook, and one of the better ones. All answers are included.
One of the most popular textbooks amongst home-educators is Alan Smith's IGCSE Mathematics for Edexcel. This is a link to the older version: if you buy this version second hand, make sure you are getting the CD ROM as this has the answers to all the questions - though they should also, fingers crossed, be available here as a google document. A newer edition of this book is available. Alan Smith has also written a newer book for the Edexcel GCSE syllabus which has downloadable answers.
Past papers
As with all these exams, doing plenty of past papers is the key to attaining a good grade. If you mark the papers with the exam board's mark scheme in hand (and the examiner's report) you will be able to guide your child towards getting the most marks possible. In maths, children who find the subject easy often lose marks because they don't write down their working out ('It's all so blindingly obvious, do I really have to write it all down?' as one of my sons lamented). Yes, you do. It is in fact possible to get every sum right but show no workings and come out with a C, or to get most sums wrong but get most of the working out right and come out with a B. Do both and you'll get a high grade!