Case Study: Tayla Matthew-Smith
Tayla completed the MSPW Further Maths course in August 2025, motivated by her ambition to study Mathematics at university. As the only student in her school taking Further Maths, she embraced independent learning and adapted to the university-style structure of MSPW. Her success on the course helped secure a place at Newcastle University with a reduced offer, highlighting the value of Further Maths in unlocking opportunities.
Q: What was your motivation for choosing Further Mathematics?
A: I wanted to do mathematics in university and seeing and understanding some of the Further Mathematics content at A level that would come up in the degree would be useful.
Q: What did you think of the whole MSP W experience, the teaching, weekly sessions, feedback on homework, mock exam, access to resources, flipped videos etc?
A: I thought that the experience would be similar to university and the lectures I would have, and so help me prepare for the next few years. It is very different to school. I did struggle at the start but got to grips with the system over the course. Feedback was quick from tutors, and this was very useful as you could see where you’d gone wrong. I used the Integral resources to go over some of the topics.
Q: Did MSPW meet your learning needs? Did you need to adapt or change your learning style?
A: I learned to adapt by the end of the course- to follow lessons and work properly.
Q: What helped you to stay committed?
A: I had a lot of support from my teachers in school. I was motivated to keep going and working on it as I wanted to do mathematics at degree level.
Q: Personal growth: your confidence, ambition and mathematical thinking?
A: Doing the Further Maths course helped with questions in Mathematics A level. This helped with my independence in working. I was the only one in the school doing Further Mathematics, so I worked a lot on my own.
Q: Having achieved excellent grades, what opportunities has your success unlocked? University? Internships etc?
A: I am able to go to Newcastle University to do a Mathematics degree and I was given an offer of lower grades because I was doing Further Mathematics. It helped me to get there.