Mathematics

I have been teaching mathematics for over 10 years, in a variety of schools and positions. As a Teach First graduate, I began my career in a challenging school in East London, before moving out to Hertfordshire as a Key Stage 3 leader of Maths, HoD and now Lead Practitioner at my current school, The Priory School.

In this role I have been involved in improving teaching and learning across the school and more specifically, a focus on developing mathematics across the curriculum. This has involved me creating a form-time numeracy program, delivering staff CPD and supporting HoDs on the content and delivery of mathematics in their subject areas.

I am a University of Hertfordshire accredited ITT mentor and have led subject training days for their maths trainees. I have also worked with local primary schools and have delivered enrichment sessions to their high ability students and SATs masterclasses.

Teaching mathematics is a passion of mine and I have previously volunteered during school holidays in temporary schools at the Calais and Dunkirk camps, teaching mathematics to refugee children and adults.

I am currently Teacher of Maths and Lead Practitioner at Marriotts School in Stevenage having been Head of Maths at The Barclay School and previously worked at Nobel, also in Stevenage, and Stanborough in Welwyn Garden City.

I have taught Maths since 1996 having previously worked in Retail Management for Sainsbury's. I have extensive experience of marking GCSE Maths and I was a Principal Examiner for Pearson for 7 years. In 2016, I took part in the DfE and NCETM England China exchange, visiting Shanghai and then hosting the series of "Shanghai Maths in Stevenage" events that took place at Nobel when the Chinese teachers made their return visit. I have led the development of a mastery curriculum for Key Stage 3 using the collaborative planning and same day intervention strategies seen in Shanghai.

At Key Stage 4 I strive to ensure that students are effective independent learners and have led on the use of many successful intervention strategies.

I am determined that we should have high expectations for the achievement of every student, whatever their prior attainment and have developed the effective use of mixed attainment groupings. I have made good use of the increased detail of data available for Key Stage 2 tests to ensure smooth and successful transition from Year 6 into Year 7.

I am a Mathematics Teacher at Barnwell School in Stevenage, teaching KS3 to KS5. Prior to teaching I worked in the retail industry delivering strategic change projects and I am trained in people management, coaching, mentoring, personal leadership, personal effectiveness and situational leadership. I enjoy bringing these skills into teaching to make sustainable improvements for our students.

I believe it is extremely important for teachers to remain reflective and aim to continuously improve on their practice. From my personal experience, the most exciting ideas I have used within the classroom have come from networking with teachers both inside and outside of my school.

I have recently completed the Teaching Advanced Mathematics course with MEI and the University of Cambridge allowing me to explore new teaching methods to promote a strong understanding of advanced mathematics and am currently coordinating the smooth transition to the new A Level structure. I have experience in mentoring trainee teachers and delivering whole school CPD on engaging classroom activities, student resilience and raising pupil premium achievement.

I am Deputy Head of Maths at Nobel School. I have been KS5 lead for Maths in the past and have focused on the changes for A-level as well as working hard to ensure we can offer the level 3 Maths qualification within our school.

We have recently been teaching Maths Mastery for KS3 and this has given us many opportunities to develop our practice over the last few years. Included in this I have been looking at marking within mathematics and maximizing impact with a sustainable approach.

I have been a mentor for many student teachers over my years of teaching and I enjoy this coaching and mentoring role. I feel that by focusing on teacher’s strengths it can be possible to build on excellent practice whilst still developing individuals as practitioners.

I am committed to helping others develop, both within my own department, and across the wider school. My role as Assistant Head: Teaching and Learning at The Priory School puts me an ideal position to do this. I am a Level 2 Google Certified Educator and am interested in incorporating technology into the curriculum through blended learning initiatives. I hold a keen interest in teacher training and mentoring, and have had many positive experiences of mentoring through both subject and pastoral routes.

I regularly evaluate my own practice and identify areas for progression, primarily through attendance at network meetings and conferences, and collaboration with other leaders. I aim to keep up to date with educational trends and ideas through twitter, blogs, and lots and lots of reading!

In my role as Head of Maths, I have achieved excellent GCSE results over the past four years. I lead my department with a very successful collaborative and collegiate approach, where every member of the team knows they are valued and is encouraged to contribute. This has been a significant factor in accomplishing these results.

Exam boards:

Edexcel for GCSE and A Level

Edexcel Award in Algebra

AQA Core Mathematics