Case studies

Progress with leading mathematics teachers initiatives

Secondary mathematics team

Jeanette Whiteman   Adviser for Mathematics - Responsible for LMTs and author of this case study
Keith Gould - County Adviser for Mathematics
Heather Boyce - KS3 Mathematics Consultant
Fiona Mapp - KS3 Mathematics Consultant
Barbara Walwyn - KS3 Mathematics Consultant

Hertfordshire is a large education authority, with over one hundred schools with students of secondary age. The majority of these are 11 –18 comprehensives, with some single sex schools, some Middle schools, Upper schools,  ESCs and a mixture of Special Schools. Hertfordshire results are above the national average, with a range from very high attaining schools to lower attaining ones.

How many LMTs/LMDs and particular strengths

In March 2001 we wrote to the Headteachers of all schools in Hertfordshire with secondary age students, explaining the KS3 LMT scheme. We asked Headteachers  to confirm the high quality of the teaching of the applicant and to be prepared to support the mathematics teacher interested. Eleven of the initial thirteen applicants were subsequently accepted onto the two-day training course.  Eight of these were willing and able to continue into the current year and we have recently had a one-day training course for a further fourteen teachers… this gives us a total of 17 departments with one or more LMTs.

These teachers come from a variety of schools, in terms of geographical location around Hertfordshire, as well as in terms of schools having varying intakes and examination results. We have two teachers from a girls’ school, one teacher from an EBD Special School, one teacher from a middle school and the rest from 11-18 mixed comprehensives. (One of these schools has just come out of ‘Special Measures’ and another is in the ‘underachieving’ Ofsted category.)

The LMTs have mixed strengths, including success and expertise with Springboard groups, ICT, frequent use of open-ended tasks, collaborative group work… All the teachers support and promote the pedagogy of the KS3 Strategy.

Currently, we have three schools who wish to be Leading Mathematics Departments. We are in the process of supporting these.