The power of partnership: system leaders in MATs and Maths Hubs are transforming maths education

The White Horse Federation is a large MAT of 30 schools and settings across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. Priding itself on equity of opportunity and an inclusive approach, the trust has been working with Mobius Maths Hub, with support from BBO Maths Hub, across the trust area to ensure that all pupils have access to high quality maths teaching and can reach their potential as mathematicians.

Heidi Whitney, NCETM Deputy Director for System Leadership, spoke to Simon Cowley, Director of Education with responsibility for primary phase, about the trust’s relationship with Maths Hubs.

How would you describe The White Horse Federation and its approach to maths?

Our trust is made up of schools in a variety contexts and sizes. On average across the trust, our schools have 25% FSM, 20% EAL and 22% of pupils with SEND. The majority of our schools are primaries – 25 in total – and we also have a primary school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

In recent years, we have focused sharply on curriculum, teaching and assessment. We have looked to develop a shared sequenced curriculum, a common assessment calendar and a common set of teaching principles. The success of this coherent approach has been highlighted by Ofsted. Five of the last nine inspections of schools in our trust have been Outstanding and feedback has referenced the ambition we have for our pupils and the coherence of the core curriculum, including maths.

KS2 maths outcomes across the trust bear out our approach to the subject. In 2024, 76% of pupils achieved age-related expectations in maths, up from 68% in 2023. For 2025, our tracking data is currently predicting 80% at ARE.

How have leaders in your school worked with Maths Hubs?

The relationship between the trust and Mobius and BBO Maths Hubs has been mutually beneficial. Having senior and classroom level staff working across both the trust and the hubs have developed them as individuals, benefited our schools trust-wide, and created a dynamic professional learning environment.

Suzanne Mathews is Assistant Maths Hub Lead for Mobius and Primary Maths Lead for the trust, meaning she works across both organisations and brings knowledge from each to benefit the other. Bex Farrell, Charlotte Watson and Lucy Gale are Mastery Specialists and teachers in the trust, and Lee Edmonds is Primary Curriculum Teaching and Learning Lead for the trust, and a member of Mobius Maths Hub’s Strategic Board.

Because the work for Mobius Maths Hub benefits the trust, we understand the need for flexibility for these members of staff. Suzanne works two days a week for Mobius Maths Hub and is part of the trust’s education team on her remaining days. Bex and Charlotte both work one day a week for the Maths Hub to share and spread their mastery knowledge, and are classroom teachers on their remaining days. All the work for the Maths Hub is funded and the working pattern is negotiated at the start of the year, so neither the trust nor the hub misses out on their skills.

What are the benefits of having these system leaders for the trust, its schools, and the individuals?

Our ambition is to develop maths leaders within the trust to be self-sustaining, so investing in them and giving them time to both train and learn is fundamental to achieving that. Working alongside the Maths Hub, part of a major national network, also gives us access to the big picture of maths education, and associated support and training.

Being outward looking as a trust is important, and input from the hub has provided validation from experts that we are on the right track to improve outcomes. We have also developed our school improvement practice, and based it on the Targeted Support model used by the Maths Hubs for intensive and enhanced support.

Our trust-wide maths network is focused on ‘live’ sharing of effective practice in schools, so we can respond and act quickly to improve approaches across the whole trust. We are not insular and always want to look outside of the trust and benefit from collaboration with other trusts and schools. Working with Mobius and BBO enables us to collaborate with colleagues in schools across several counties, and the system leaders can bring back knowledge and ideas as well as sharing their own expertise.

Working with the Maths Hubs have given us access to high-quality training, and enabled us to develop school improvement approaches whilst also improving teachers’ subject knowledge. The hubs have facilitated professional development for groups of teachers, and visiting schools has encouraged teachers to learn from each other.

What have been the most significant benefits for the trust?

First and foremost, pupil outcomes have improved. Seeing our pupils become confident mathematicians and achieve well has been the most rewarding benefit.

We have also seen benefits for our teachers. Our retention rate is better than the national rate, and many of our teachers aspire to be future system leaders.

The work with Maths Hubs has been bespoke to our trust, and we have taken advantage of access to expert practitioners who understand our curriculum. Our system leaders have developed materials alongside experts from the hubs to resource our shared curriculum. It is then continually reviewed with close analysis of the decisions we make around assessment and next steps.

When working in schools, Mastery Specialists have been able to exercise flexible approaches based on need. In some cases, they have worked closely side by side with an individual teacher, and in other schools they have worked with the maths subject lead or with SLT.

‘First and foremost, pupil outcomes have improved. Seeing our pupils become confident mathematicians and achieve well has been the most rewarding benefit.’

– Simon Cowley, Director of Education at The White Horse Federation

How does having system leaders benefit the wider system?

Our trust has a clear direction held by a well-crafted strategic plan. It’s about inspiring lives, raising standards and improving provision for all pupils. In recent years we haven’t engaged significantly with other MATs while we have been focused on improving outcomes for our pupils, but we are now in a stronger position to so. We realise the benefit of this wider moral purpose within the education system.

Our view is that trusts should work in collaboration rather than in competition. Quite simply, working together benefits all. We are currently working with another MAT from the Midlands on how to implement a shared maths curriculum across all our trust schools.

What have been the challenges of your work with the Maths Hubs?

What have been the challenges of your work with the Maths Hubs?
Although Suzanne works for Mobius Maths Hub for two days a week, and only works three days a week for the trust, this challenge brings its own reward. Suzanne brings expertise into the trust from her Assistant Maths Hub Lead role and has inspired others to be maths system leaders; continuing to increase expertise across the trust and build capacity. 

Our headteachers never want classroom teachers to be away from their pupils, but they see the value of expertise and what is brought back into the school by our Mastery Specialists. Developing teachers as system leaders also contributes to retaining staff, as it gives them a different way to enhance their career. In all instances, the benefits have significantly outweighed any challenges.