Specialist maths schools

Links between schools and universities have the potential to raise attainment. The challenge is to make the best use of relationships to add real value to teaching and learning at school and to raise attainment levels as a result. One of the options is to focus on particular disciplines.

The University of Exeter and King’s College London have developed specialist maths schools, to offer both outstanding secondary education for pupils and to support other schools’ teaching of maths and other STEM subjects.

What makes this school so special is the link between the school and the university. We are using personnel at the university to enhance the experience of pupils.

Dan Abramson, Head Teacher
King’s College London Mathematics School

These schools are the only two university-sponsored mathematics schools in the country and the selection processes for both schools are designed to identify those with the potential to flourish in a specialist mathematics environment.

Students attending the Exeter Mathematics School are mentored by mathematics undergraduates from the university and work with their peers from across the South West of England. The aim is to broaden students’ outlook and for the experience to be a useful stepping-stone to university.

Both schools aim to provide an education for their students that is engaging and challenging, inspiring their curiosity and motivating an interest in further study. But more than that, the schools are working to improve maths education more widely through their outreach and professional development work with teachers – and by acting as hubs to engage schools throughout their regions.

The King’s College London Mathematics School works with the university to run a Further Mathematics course for new teachers to develop their subject knowledge. Funded by the London Schools Excellence Fund, the course offers new teachers core training days at the Mathematics School and assigns each participant a senior mentor who will visit the teacher at their own school.