Secondary Maths Subject briefing/workshop

SWIFT are delighted to be working with Craig Barton, nationally renowned trainer with a maths teaching specialism, to provide termly high quality, research-based training covering key elements of curriculum, and teaching and learning pedagogy. The series supports the development of planning, teaching and assessment to increase confidence in the teaching and learning of maths. Participants are supported to reflect on their current practice, and how to implement future improvements within their own schools.

All sessions include a general overview of the secondary maths landscape, including the most up-to-date national and local information on policy, frameworks and initiatives, as well as a key focus area each term, as outlined below:

Session 1- Autumn Term: Planning – Atomisation - 12 November 2025 16.00-17.30

Overview: How a concept is broken down is a key factor in determining if our students will understand it. This workshop looks at how to choose the best examples to teach a new concept, how to break that example down into Atoms, and how to deal with those Atoms students have met before.

Session 2 – Spring Term: Teaching – Modelling and Explanations- 4 February 2026 16.00-17.30

Overview: Modelling new ideas to students. The workshop examines how to deliver a clear, concise, teacher-led instruction, including modelling, to maximise the chance of our students following explanations.

Session 3- Summer Term: Assessment- Independent Practice - 22 April 2026 16.00-17.30

Overview: Purposeful Practice describes a special type of activity that can help bridge the gap between Consolidation and Problem-Solving. The workshop looks at three activity structures that can provide such Purposeful Practice to all our students and discuss strategies for getting the most out of them.

Whilst the overviews have been designed in a sequential way to support all stages of teaching and learning, Craig is keen to adapt sessions to reflect any relevant updates and feedback from attendees in the sessions, so that they are relevant and tailored to meet school needs.

The sessions are suitable for all secondary phase teachers and leaders of Maths.

Target Audience

Secondary Maths Teachers and Leaders

Learning Outcomes

Attendees will gain insight into the latest developments in Secondary Maths and consider the implication of these for their own settings.

The sessions are designed to support maths teachers to:

· Be aware of the national agenda for teaching secondary mathematics

· Reflect on strategies to support the needs of all learners within the classroom

· Identify principles that contribute to effective lesson design in mathematics

Dedicate focused time to reflect on current practice and plan for continuous improvement for impact on pupil outcomes

Briefing Lead

Craig Barton

Craig has taught maths since 2004, with has enjoyed working across a number of schools as an Advanced Skills Teacher just four years into his teaching career, where his passion and expertise in maths teaching began.

He is Heads of ‘Eedi’ and is a co-creator of ‘Diagnostic Questions’, a free world-wide website hosting the world's largest collection of high-quality maths diagnostic multiple-choice questions, supporting teachers and students identify, understand and resolve key misconceptions.

For 10 years Craig was the Secondary Maths Adviser to TES, the largest professional network of teachers in the world, curating and reviewing resources written by talented maths teachers all over the world, as well as writing newsletters, and building collections.

Since building mrbartonmaths.com in 2007, his website has been used by millions of teachers, students and parents across the world, followed in 2015 by Mr Barton Maths Podcast, linking with education specialists such as Dylan Wiliam, Doug Lemov, Daisy Christodoulou and Dan Meyer.

Craig’s book, ‘How I wish I'd taught maths: Lessons learned from research, conversations with experts and 12 years of mistakes’ followed by ‘Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain: sequences and behaviour to enable mathematical thinking in the classroom’, and then a third book ‘Tips for Teachers’ in 2020, which led to another website and podcast.

In February 2020, Craig was also appointed a Visiting Fellow at the Mathematics Education Centre at the University of Loughborough.

Craig regularly runs workshops, deliver keynote addresses, and work with maths departments both in the UK and overseas.

Costs

SWIFT members - FREE

Other colleagues - £35

SWIFT Partner providing course is Blackdown Education Partnership.

NB Your school will need to have SWIFT membership for 2025/26 to qualify for the member price.

Please note: Payment is by INVOICE ONLY. Please select invoice as the payment method at check out.

SWIFT Partner providing course (including invoicing) is Blackdown Education Partnership.

You will receive a confirmation of booking from Eventbrite. All further correspondence will come from (becki.mills@sw-ift.org.uk or Tania.cox@sw-ift.org.uk); please ensure you check your junk mail box and approve the email to ensure you receive important event details.

If you are unable to attend on the day, or are sending someone else in your place, please let us know. Please be aware that failure to cancel your space can incur your school a cost.

• More than 21 days to date of event: Full refund available (minus £25 admin fee)

• Between 20-7 days to date of event: 50% refund available (minus £25 admin fee)

• 6 days or less to date of event: No refund available (plus £25 admin fee)

Should a training course recruit insufficient numbers to make it viable, we reserve the right to cancel the course, without penalty, giving minimum notice of 24 hours.

Full Terms and Conditions are available HERE.