As Curriculum Leader of a core subject in a brand-new school, Sarah is responsible for creating the mathematics vision and curriculum from the ground up. She spends most of her day in the classroom delivering lessons and enrichment activities, while also developing resources, coaching staff, and monitoring the impact of teaching across the department. Her work is helping to establish a strong culture of ambition and excellence in mathematics at River Academy.

Q: Tell us about your role, Sarah.
A: As a Curriculum Leader of a core subject in a brand-new school, I am responsible for creating our maths vision and curriculum. I am developing a team as we grow, with a shared passion for delivering maths teaching of the very best quality so that all our learners can achieve their very best. Most of my school day is in the classroom teaching maths lessons and then providing maths enrichment activities too. Outside of lessons, I am creating department resources to support our maths mastery curriculum, coaching staff and ensuring that we are monitoring the effectiveness of our maths teaching at River Academy.

Q: You were nominated for Team Talks for your work on shaping the maths curriculum. Please tell us about that.
A: I am very passionate about all children having access to a fantastic maths education, and I am very fortunate to be in a position to build a department from scratch that does this. As we grow, the maths team all have this shared vision of the very best maths educational experience for all of our students at River Academy. As a school, we have specific behaviour and learning expectations that are 100% consistent across all classrooms, and this has meant in maths classrooms, we can really focus on maths teaching and learning. Students get excited about maths and that gives me and the maths team a great buzz to keep being incredibly passionate about teaching maths.

“Students get excited about maths, and that gives me and the maths team a great buzz to keep being incredibly passionate about teaching maths.”

Q: What motivates you to keep pushing this work forward?
A: I feel strongly that all students, no matter their background or where they live, should have the very best maths education. At River Academy, we hold all our children to account, and we have the very highest expectations of all of them, no exceptions. This is also my belief for maths. Every child can achieve success when we hold them to account, keep expectations high for everyone and deliver the very best maths teaching to them. It is hugely rewarding when students achieve success in their progress because of this.

“Every child can achieve success when we hold them to account, keep expectations high for everyone and deliver the very best maths teaching to them.”

Q: What do you think has helped you deliver this work successfully?
A: At River Academy, all of my colleagues have the same shared passion — that all students, no matter their background or where they live, should achieve their very best. We hold them to account and are passionate about offering them the very best education through the curriculum and enrichment. The staff team, including the growing maths team, at River are all 100% on board with this.

Q: Which MET value connects most strongly to your work?
A: Aim High. All students are expected to aim high. We hold them to account for this — no child is left behind — and for me in maths, I am going to ensure they get the very best maths education to achieve this.

Q: What advice would you give to colleagues who are developing new departments?
A: If you want to be a curriculum leader in a brand-new school, you have to be very flexible in your role and workload. You also have to be clear about the vision you are working towards and why. Keep this in mind and it can be very rewarding — and perhaps easier when setting up a new department than steering an existing one.

Q: What’s next for your work at River Academy?
A: There is still much to do, year on year, as the maths team grows at River Academy. Our curriculum continues to develop, and we will have new maths staff joining us every year. We will be ensuring that maths mastery is fully embedded in our maths teaching, and this will need to be continually developed and worked on as we grow.

Huge thanks to Sarah for taking the time to Team Talk with us.

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