BBO Maths Hub Newsletter 2 Nov 16

Autumn Term 2016 Newsletter 3 8 November 2016 Newsletter 3 - 8 November 2016 2016/2017 Shanghai Exchange Gill Knight (Holtspur School) and Kate Reade (Whitehall Infant School) have arrived safely in China on the first leg of this year’s Shanghai Exchange. They are pictured (left) with the two Chinese teachers, Miss Yilin and Miss Xiaojuan, who will be coming to the UK in January 2017.

Gwenda and Brian (Gill’s neon hand puppets!) have also been forging cultural links, meeting teachers and Ministers alike!

Inspiring Primary Mathematics conference – Saturday 12 November at Wycombe High School This Maths Association event is filling fast so if you haven’t yet booked and want to, you have just 24 hours! http://www.m-a.org.uk/one-day-events for full details and booking form.

KS1 and KS2 Reasoning and Problem Solving Problem solving and reasoning are two of the three aims of the National Curriculum for Maths. Pauline Tyson, Senior Lecturer in Primary Mathematics at Oxford Brookes University will be leading a course designed to develop an understanding of effective practice in teaching and learning problem solving and reasoning. She will run 3 cohorts of this course; in Oxford,

Aylesbury and at a venue in Berkshire. To take part, please email: mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk For further information: http://cygnustsa.co.uk/courses/details/110/BBO-Maths-Hub-Problem-Solving-and-Reasoning-at-KS1-and-KS2/

Primary Bar Modelling Work Groups The first work group, based in High Wycombe, is now underway. The second cohort will be based at Booker Park School in Aylesbury and will begin on 7 February 2017. We still have places for two more schools. If you would like to take part, please email: mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Save the Date - Monday 5 December at 4.30pm in The Great Hall, Bisham Abbey.

Christmas Engagement Event for Secondary Schools We are being joined by Ben Sparks http://www.bensparks.co.uk/ who will share some Mathematical treats with you, there will be a ‘Speed Updating’ session on the free training the hub is offering this year and a hot finger buffet to begin your festive season. We will send out the flyer shortly to everyone on our secondary list. Whilst Primary teachers would be most welcome to join us for this event we are organising another primary mastery afternoon in March 2017, following the very positive feedback following last year’s event. Date and details to follow.

Post-16 Enrichment Workgroup We are looking for four schools across our hub area to work with us to design and organise four events in or near their schools to inspire Y9/10 students to continue to study Mathematics beyond GCSE. You will be paid for your time and the event will be fully funded by the Maths Hub. If you would like to be involved in this project please email Julia Brown. Maths Hub Lead at jbrown@whs.bucks.sch.uk Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk Follow us on Twitter @BBOMathsHub Maths Hub Lead - Julia Brown at JBrown@whs.bucks.sch.uk Administrator - Sarah Yarwood at SYarwood@whs.bucks.sch.uk Admin Asst - Ruth Long at RLong@whs.bucks.sch.uk

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Mathematical Reasoning at KS3 (Secondary) We are recruiting schools to join two workgroups to help them develop reasoning at KS3; an essential skill and approach to learning mathematics for all students to enable them to achieve a good GCSE grade. Full details are at http://cygnustsa.co.uk/ courses/details/109/BBO-Maths-Hub-Developing-Reasoning-at-KS3/ Embedding Problem Solving in the GCSE Curriculum (Secondary) This was a very successful course in terms of teacher satisfaction and student outcomes when we ran it last year as a short series of afternoon sessions. Jude Stratton will be leading this again as a series of twilight sessions which we hope to repeat at more than one location across our hub region and these will start in the second half of the Spring term. If you are interested

please express an interest via email to mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk giving your name and the name and address of your school so we can organise venues to suit as many participants as possible.

Preparing to teach the new A level Maths and Core Maths The BBO Maths Hub will be hosting some events in partnership with the FMSP and Core Maths Support Programme about preparing for the new A levels and introducing Core Maths: 23 November 2016 - Sixth Form Mathematics Teachers Meeting, John Colet School, Wendover, Bucks follow the link: http://cygnustsa.co.uk/courses/details/111/BBO-Maths-Hub-Event-for-6th-Form-Teachers/ 29 November 2016 - A level and Core Maths Briefing, Mary Hare School, Newbury, Berks (details to follow) The Further Maths Support Programme Jeff Trim and Alexandra Hewitt our FMSP colleagues who cover the Bucks, Berks and Oxon Maths Hub area have asked us to remind you about the many events they have on offer to you, including: th

20 January 2017: “Introduction to Mechanics”; Edgbarrow School, Crowthorne 30th March 2017: “Problem Solving at GCSE”; Easthampstead Park School, Bracknell Further information can be found on the link: http://furthermaths.org.uk/SE_CPD Association of Maths Teachers and Mathematical Association The joint ATM/MA Branch have a ‘Developing Problem Solving and Fluency’ event on Saturday 12 November. Full details can be found at http://www.m-a.org.uk/events/?id=64 Department for Education - Return to Teach Programme.

Overleaf we have copied a letter from Nigel Bowen, Return to Teaching Advisor at the DfE, who is looking for help from schools who may be able to offer classroom experience to returners. Please contact Nigel directly if your school would be able to help.

Julia Brown BBO Maths Hub Lead

Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk Maths Hub Lead - Julia Brown at JBrown@whs.bucks.sch.uk

Follow us on Twitter @BBOMathsHub

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Please can your Maths hub (or partner schools) offer classroom experience for our Secondary Maths returners?

Dear Sir / Madam My name is Nigel Bowen and I am an Advisor on NCTL’s Return to Teaching programme. If you ran (or supported schools to run) Maths Teacher Subject Specialism Training (TSST) courses in 2015-16, you may already be aware of my role in supporting teachers to return to teach Secondary Maths (and also Physics and MFL), along with my Return to Teaching Advisor colleagues.

TSST courses are very valuable to returners to enable them to update their subject and pedagogical knowledge, to help them feel more confident about returning to the classroom. We are pleased that many Maths TSST course tutors, when asked by returners, also provide classroom observation and teaching experience for returners who are attending their courses. Also, many TSST course tutors have been very supportive in providing references for returners in the past, to support them with their applications for teaching posts.

However, we’d also like to ask if your Maths hub or any of your partner schools would be willing to host Maths returners for Secondary classroom experience (observation or teaching)? Offering classroom and teaching experience is a great way for schools to meet potential candidates for any current or future Secondary Maths teaching vacancies. Even if they could only offer single days as a ‘refresher’, that would be helpful!

Note that unlike most participants on TSST courses, many returners are not currently teaching (in fact, they are not classed as a returner if they are currently employed by a school, though some may be doing e.g. supply teaching or cover supervisor work, or be TAs in schools), so they are not able to put into practice what they learn on TSST courses (or in some cases, there are no TSST courses available in their subject in their local area, or the courses are full). This is why being able to offer observation / teaching experience is so valuable.

If your school or any partner schools are willing to help, please let me know and I will add their name and contact details to our list of schools willing to offer experience to returners. Its unlikely schools will be inundated with requests, as Maths teachers (and returners!) are in short supply! But if a school has too many requests, they can let me know and we can always remove their details from our list.

We will continue to signpost our returners to Maths TSST courses using the TSST Directory, so please ensure any entries are complete and up to date. If you need to add or amend anything, please email the NCTL TSST Team at TSST.MAILBOX@education.gov.uk.

We look forward to working with you this academic year, and hopefully meeting you at Return to Teach and Train to Teach recruitment events in the near future.

Nigel Bowen Return to Teaching Advisor Return to Teaching Programme Department for Education (DfE) / National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) Email: nigel.bowen@ta-recruit.education.gov.uk Return to Teaching Helpline: 0800 085 0971 http://education.gov.uk/returners Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing mathscourses@whs.bucks.sch.uk Follow us on Twitter @BBOMathsHub Maths Hub Lead - Julia Brown at JBrown@whs.bucks.sch.uk Maths Hub Administrator - Sarah Yarwood at SYarwood@whs.bucks.sch.uk