Minister visits Christ the King Sixth Form College to learn of Centres for Excellence in Maths progress

Yesterday (9 May 2019) Anne Milton MP, Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships, visited one of the 21 Centres for Excellence in Maths (CfEM), Christ the King Sixth Form College in London.

The visit aimed to give the Minister information on the progress of the CfEM programme and the impact it is having on learners.

The CfEM programme is an improvement programme aimed at delivering a step change in maths teaching in England up to Level 2 in post-16 settings, with a focus on 16 to 19-year olds. It is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) which chose the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), the national workforce development body for the Further Education (FE) and Training sector, to manage and lead the programme on its behalf.

The programme aims to help increase the number of young people leaving compulsory education with the necessary maths skills up to GCSE and Functional Skills level, to improve their employability, and engagement with further learning. To achieve this, the ETF is working with a range of expert delivery partners and 21 chosen Centres across England, including Christ the King Sixth Form College, to design new and improved teaching approaches, develop quality teaching resources, build teachers’ skills and spread best practice across the country through maths networks.

The CfEM programme is focussed primarily on four themes of activity:

• An adapted mastery approach to mathematics, suitable for the post-16 sector
• Approaches to contextualisation which relate maths to real-world situations
• Motivating and engaging learners
• The use of data and technology within mathematics education in the sector.

The visit started with Anne Milton MP meeting leaders from the Christ the King Sixth Form College and the ETF to discuss the programme and its impact on learners. The Minister was then given a tour of the College’s Maths Department to meet with students and staff. 

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Anne Milton MP, said: “Maths is vital for work and everyday life and we know that achieving a good level in maths increases your chances of getting a job, an apprenticeship or progressing to further and higher education.

“So it was fantastic to see our Centres for Excellence in Maths programme up and running at Christ the King Sixth Form College and helping arm students with the knowledge they need to progress.

“It was a pleasure to meet with the staff and students today and I look forward to hearing more about the progress they continue to make.”

Paul Kessell-Holland, Director of Insights at the ETF, said: “The opportunity to re-engage young people with maths learning up to level 2 through the programme’s research and evidence is nationally important. The Centres including Christ the King, the ETF and our expert partners are working together to make sure the opportunity is taken full advantage of for learners now and in the future.

“Delivering evidence-based practice and innovation, through sector-inclusive programmes like Centres for Excellence in Maths, supports the workforce development aim that the ETF is founded on.”

Shireen Razey, Christ the King Co-Collegiate Principal and lead for the Maths Centre for excellence, said: “Christ the King were delighted to welcome Anne Milton to the College today. It was great opportunity for us to discuss the work we are spearheading, as a Centre for Excellence in Maths.

“Christ the King are proud to have been selected as a Centre for Excellence in Maths from such a large number of institutions nationally and feel the project is invaluable in driving innovation and in helping maths students improve their outcomes in London and the South East.”