Get involved with your Maths Hub this year
There’s a range of ways for teachers and schools to engage with their local Maths Hub
10/09/2020
With Covid-19 in the background, this school year is certainly unique. However that doesn’t dilute the potential benefits for teachers and maths departments of engaging with their local Maths Hub. Every hub is offering the usual range of projects and opportunities, but, acknowledging this year’s special circumstances, most work is not getting fully underway until after October half term. In addition, all activity will be tailored to take into account the ongoing impact of the coronavirus.
Three new Maths Hubs
Three new Maths Hubs start work this year, bringing the national network to 40 hubs, which provide support and collaboration opportunities to every school and college in England. The new hubs are:
As with all hubs, each new Maths Hub is based at a Lead School, which coordinates collaborative work by schools and professional development leads across their area.
Opportunities across all phases
Since the hubs programme began in 2014, thousands of schools have benefited from working with their local Maths Hub. For most, the link has become permanent. Could your school renew its involvement or get involved for the first time this year? There are projects addressing maths from Early Years to post-16: all with the aim of improving teaching to strengthen and deepen pupils’ understanding. This flyer details all available projects.
Developing leaders of professional development
A key part of Maths Hubs work is developing the people who, at local level, lead the Work Groups, consisting of teachers representing small groups of collaborating schools. Many of these have been through Mastery Specialist training provided by Maths Hubs and the NCETM. Others have acquired NCETM PD Lead accreditation or participated in the Maths SLE School Improvement Support Programme. Collectively, we refer to this growing group of individuals as local leaders of maths education (LLME). We also regularly bring them together in local professional learning communities. At time of writing, some of these training opportunities are still open for 2020/21. Talk to your local hub to find out.
Maths Hubs and Covid-19
During the summer months of 2020, all Maths Hubs adapted their work with local schools, to take account of travel and physical distancing restrictions caused by the coronavirus. To some degree, these adaptations will continue. Maths Hubs also offered support to schools planning the return to ‘normal’ maths teaching as schools fully re-opened. Many teachers linked to Maths Hubs also participated in NCETM projects providing resources and guidance specifically aimed at helping schools in what might be called the initial Covid recovery phase. Read our separate primary and secondary articles outlining this work in more detail.
Talk to your Maths Hub
If you think there might be something described above that will suit you or your school during the current academic year, talk to your local hub. You can find details of the area they serve, contact details and a link to their website in the dedicated Maths Hubs section of the NCETM website. Even if you need more time to think, or you’re an NQT wanting to link up with local colleagues, you could sign up to receive their newsletters and other communications. There’s always something to be gained from expanding contacts among anyone who teaches maths, near and far.