WMCETT Mathematics Education Strategic Hub
Thursday, January 22, 4-6pm,
Attendance:
Name
Julie
Chamberlain
(JC)
Bernadette
Evans
(BE)
Kev Gilling (KG)
Organisation
WMCETT
Name
Jan Myatt
(JM)
Organisation
Walsall College
Birmingham Adult Education
Service
Joan O’Hagan
(JOH)
NCETM Maths lead
Heart of Worcestershire
College
Steve Pardoe
(SP)
Sue JohnstonWilder (SJW)
Centre for Education Studies,
University of Warwick
Martyn Quigley
(MQ)
Denis Lennon
(DL)
Fergus McKay
(FM)
Coventry Adult Education
Service
WMCETT
Jan Ryan
(JR)
FE GCSE Maths Enhancement
Support Programme /
WMCETT
Further Mathematics Support
Programme / School of
Mathematics, University of
Birmingham
CWT Chamber Training
FM went through the notes from the last meeting. JC presented results from a survey of comments
from last year’s MEP participants. Out of the respondents, last year 14 were teaching GCSE and 45
weren’t, and this year 24 are and 35 aren’t. 34 people who were teaching GCSE or other maths said
the MEP had helped, and there were other comments about further CPD needed.
JM said her college had three new people teaching GCSE and they had to be quality assured and
there was a risk to the system if this did not take place. Some people had taken from the course
ways to engage with learners who had struggled with maths.
JR said teachers who specialised in functional maths for her organisation got added value for new
skills from the MEP. There was still a problem with the confidence of vocational trainers. They came
back buoyant from training but needed to be pushed to apply it. DL said it was the first time his
colleagues on the course had been taught something about teaching and delivery.
1. National update and feedback
Joan O’Hagan, NCETM
JOH introduced the Maths Pipeline project which involved Tribal winning the contract from ETF and
working with MEI, NIACE and AELP to run a programme of events, workshops etc for people who
teach post-16 learners. Subjects covered included deepening understanding of maths, exploring
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maths, exploring pedagogy, resources and post-MEP support. JOH said NCETM also wanted to train
some new PD leads. The Maths Pipeline was to run between now and the end of June.
JM said it was key for vocational staff to be helped to engage learners. She talked about the
difficulties of students who have got a D now having to study GCSE maths or English, and the
problems of engaging them when they were doing vocational courses and wouldn’t have gone down
the academic route. A lot of students have said they do not want to do it which would cost £5,000 of
funding to the college if they did not.
There was a discussion about how maths and English was top of all organisations’ agendas, and how
Ofsted would view the new way of reporting data about it. JM said the only opt out for a student
was if they had a SEN. FM asked if having to continue maths and English was putting students off
doing vocational courses; JM reported it was, and JR said there was an increase in NEETS.
JOH said NCETM were hoping the Pipeline would continue to be funded after June.
2. Regional update
SP reported that emCETT and WMCETT had won the ETF GCSE Maths and English Governance and
Leadership contract, and were working on it in the Midlands, East and North of England. A two-day
meeting was being held the following week to put the foundations in place for a toolkit to go on line.
It would be taken out to consultation events in February to be co-created with senior leaders from
different parts of the lifelong learning sector who would then try it in their own organisations with
senior leaders and governors and feed back. SP said there were about four contracts out at the
moment on English and maths from the ETF.
Other work through ACETT follows up the maths enhancement programme last year. SP was
interested in knowing people’s CPD needs.
JR questioned the relevance of maths exam questions for young people on apprenticeships and said
they needed to be taught in a way that involved things they could relate to. She was struggling with
awarding organisations. SJW suggested ASDAN maths courses might be more relevant and could
help build students up to a GCSE.
JM stated the current English and maths agenda had resource implications for the FE sector and it
had to be embedded as much as possible. JR said it seemed maths and English was a priority across
all sectors.
3. Updates from all
JC talked about how the English Enhancement Programme was being rolled out across the country,
and about the four successful follow-up days to the Maths Enhancement Programme which had
been held in different venues around the Midlands in the autumn.
KG said everything had been turned on its head in terms of delivery of GCSEs. It might all need to be
changed again and more was awaited from Ofsted. The key thing was balancing the students’ main
programme and their GCSE English and maths. FM asked if it had changed the way vocational
courses were delivered. KG said the college had talked about embedding and needed to go further
with that with vocational tutors. If more hours were added in there were resource implications.
Maths and English had its own directorate this year. Students understood more about the relevance
of maths and English if they were embedded.
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JM said her college had done it until this year and it worked incredibly well but they had now moved
away from it with a view to resources. JOH said a different teaching team wasn’t necessarily needed
but planning was important.
JM talked about Walsall College having a dedicated maths and English team and two sub teams. The
emphasis on maths and English challenged colleges to do things creatively and differently.
Functional skills delivery was embedded and heavily contextualised. Student course reps fed back on
what was being done and many were pleased they were given the chance to do their GCSEs
alongside their programme. The college was now thinking about how it could market English and
maths in the organisation.
MQ said the FMSP were rolling out a new initiative of PD leads for the new GCSE. He feared
duplication of effort on this and other initiatives from maths school hubs.
DL said the main problem was recruiting and retaining staff, and long term was the viability of the
service with ongoing problems for local authorities.
JR said WBL was waiting for the review of functional skills to come out. Her organisation kept trying
to develop materials which would appeal to the students and help them. City and Guilds had good
on line learning maths resources.
HK talked about her role of link connector with FMSP and work with schools and others wanting help
with A level, higher level GCSE, and problem solving which was increasingly being used as a new way
of delivering everything. The FMSP had for two years been running extension and enrichment
courses for CGSE teachers, including one for non-maths specialists teaching GCSE maths in schools
and that was eight sessions over a year, and it had been very well received.
4. A Survey of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Resilience among existing
apprentices
Sue Johnston-Wilder
SJW presented the main findings from her research on maths anxiety in apprentices in the UK. The
paper can be read on the WMCETT website here .
A summary of her key findings is:

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

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Mathematics anxiety has a noticeable impact on about 30% of the respondents. Another
19% have a tendency to be anxious but may not show such clear signs.
Mathematics anxiety is more prevalent among apprentices who have not yet gained Grade 2
mathematics.
Mathematics anxiety is more prevalent among female apprentices than male apprentices.
Females are more likely to be found on non-STEM apprenticeships than on STEM
apprenticeships.
Mathematics anxiety is more prevalent among non-STEM apprentices than STEM
apprentices.
One sixth of STEM apprentices experience their mind going blank when faced with
mathematics.
Mathematics anxiety is affecting both recruitment and progress of STEM apprentices.
The research found the implications for the supply of STEM apprentices was:
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Addressing mathematics anxiety in the pre- or early- apprentice population may be significant in
increasing the pool of potential STEM apprentices by making progression possible, and making
progression more probable.
5. AoB and next meeting date
The date of the next meeting was agreed as Thursday, 11 June, 4pm.
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