Offers practical guidance and advice on how to approach maths leadership and explores the challenges and rewards that come with this unique position. Leading maths at any school is a unique challenge. Being a "core" subject comes with pressures not experienced in many other subject areas. In addition, the relatively abstract nature of the subject content, combined with the contrasting societal and parental attitudes to mathematics, can complicate communication and stifle progress. Most pupils and parents will recognise the importance of the subject but many feel it's fine to "not be good at maths". Leading a subject area in schools is often about managing what seem at face value to be contradictions, and nowhere is this truer than in leading maths. Offering practical advice and guidance, Leading Maths explores how maths leaders can make the most of their role and shows them how to manage the daily pressures and demands that come with it. Backed up by specific examples from fifteen years of experience leading maths, Peter Mattock goes on to examine the more long-term, strategic view of maths leadership, including how leaders can work with their teams to develop high quality mathematics teaching and learning for all pupils. The book also covers day-to-day issues that arise when leading maths, in particular results and accountability, as well as difficult situations more generally. Finally, it explores how to manage an inspection, developing improvement plans and the appraisal process, before touching on taking maths leadership beyond one specific school and into
system leadership. Leading Maths also contains contributions from experienced maths leaders who examine specific approaches to leading maths across phases and in different settings, including multi-academy trusts. The contributions also discuss how to adapt and manage change across the curriculum, as well as staff CPD. Features and benefits:
* Provides a fresh perspective on maths leadership with specific advice and guidance on how to approach a leadership position.
* Written by a highly knowledgeable maths teacher and leader with over fifteen years' experience, alongside contributions from others totalling nearly a century of combined knowledge.
* Provides practical strategies for maths teachers at any level of their teaching career, backed up by specific examples from the author and contributors' own experiences in maths leadership.
* Offers useful takeaways at the end of each chapter, with a summary of key points and advice from the chapter.
Industry Reviews
This is a book that is on the side of the group of youngsters for whom the traditional classroom and the learning it offers is difficult to understand. Hard hitting, poignant, methodical and practical, it helps the teacher look through the eyes of the people they teach and see ways they could make the way they work enticing for the pupils and more enjoyable for themselves.Persuasive insights are supported with analysis of research and well-structured advice... a must for every staffroom and teachers who really care.Mick Waters
This ground-breaking book achieves two vitally important objectives. First, it puts the elephant of social class firmly back in the centre of the room by clearly outlining the many reasons we should pay attention to inequalities of social class in education. Second, it tells the reader what we can do, as teachers and educators, to address those inequalities. In the Working Classroom Bromley and Griffith present bold and innovative plans that recognise and address the long-neglected need for affirmative action if we are to tackle the extensive class discrimination in education.Diane Reay
A compelling and important read. The justifiable anger that the authors feel about the inequities of our society and education system fizzes through the book. As they say, 'We need to do more; we need to take affirmative action'. And The Working Classroom gives the educator scores of practical and inspiring ideas about what they can do to effect change, with uplifting case studies, planning templates, reflective questions and model lesson plans. This book is well researched, comprehensive, readable and well-timed. A must-read!Rachel Macfarlane
'The Working Classroom' is a thought provoking and challenging read. It unpicks the ways in which working class students are disadvantaged by an education system designed without them in mind and looks at some practical ways in which we as a profession could be doing more to improve the life chances of the disadvantaged. We all go into teaching in the hope that we can make a difference but Andy and Matt challenge those ideals by suggesting that unless we change what we are doing we are likely to be simply contributing to an educational regime which continues to fail those who start their learning journey in last place. Doing what we've always done perpetuates a system which is designed by the middle class for the middle class and continues to see the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' widening.Duncan Jacques
Excellence in any context is a judicious mix of high intention, sincere effort and intelligent execution. This is an excellent book: very well referenced, analytical, packed with stories and providing a commanding compendium of practical ideas for the classroom. The section on speaking, reading and writing is as succinct and authoritative as any teacher could wish for.The experienced authors assert that 'much of this book has been written in anger... angered at how unequal our society has become'. They channel their anger skillfully in producing a text to support teachers and leaders who wish to make a particular difference for 'the forgotten third' in our schools. It is fifty years since I first entered a Brixton primary classroom - it is inspiring to read Matt Bromley's and Andy Griffith's contemporary, compelling narrative about changing children's lives.Roy Blatchford
This book gives an excellent account of the role that social class plays in schools, the inequalities it causes, and ways that those in the education system can support students in reducing the inequalities they may face.The book is laid out in easy-to-read sections that are filled with anecdotes, ideas to improve practice and questions to allow for practitioner self-reflection. Whether you are looking to teach your students about social classes, start an extra-curricular club, become a more adaptive educator or enhance your current curriculum, this book contains all the ideas to help level the playing field and mitigate some of the effects of classism faced by your students.Everybody working in an education setting who wants to make a difference to their students' lives should read this book.Laura Tonge
The Working Classroom should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the disadvantage gap in schools. It is both sensitive and punchy: sensitive in its framing of the considerable disadvantages for many pupils and punchy in its bold, yet workable, suggestions for addressing these.Mary Myatt
A book that feels in touch with reality. Based upon sound research, with absolute relevance to schools in challenging areas that serve a unique community. Lots of strategies to support working class pupils in making progress and overcoming obstacles to achieving their true potential. Focus on parental engagement and the importance of the curriculum - key highlightsTony McGuinness
Bromley and Griffith have produced a masterpiece with The Working Classroom. The investigation of injustices in our contemporary world, and how it is skewed against working class people has a depressing whiff of familiarity, but to offer practical solutions for educators to start to deliver social justice from within is a stroke of genius from the authors. The balance of championing working class culture in the classroom against the very real risk of thereby encouraging classism, is beautifully done. Read the book. Then be angry. Then, well, then, let's change the world.Ant Sutcliffe
This book deepens the understanding of the reasons why the odds are stacked against the working class in education and provides practical solutions to make a positive difference for these pupils in their classrooms. It can be a read all at once book but, more usefully for busy school practitioners, it can be dipped in and out of, to find strategies that have already been identified as making a difference elsewhere.Sue Bourgade
This book identifies the colossal barriers youngsters living in poverty face and then expertly weaves in the authors' life experiences, observations from the classroom and academic research as ammunition for 'Everyone being Exceptional'. It is a practicable collection of approaches for those of us at the chalkface who battle day to day for better outcomes for children living in poverty. This is a vital read for anybody working in schools providing the reader with a greater understanding of the complexities and difficulties youngsters living in poverty face and the strategies to overcome them. Living in poverty needs to be the tenth protected characteristic!Mark Ayers
As schools across the country grapple with the impact of both the cost of living crisis and deepening social inequality, this important book could not be more timely. It is an educational call to arms which is full of practical ideas and solutions to close the poverty-related attainment gap and enable all young people to thrive.Christine Downie
