New Head of Mathematics at Oakfield

OAKFIELD Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Stephenson as the new head of mathematics.

Andy Stephenson said, “Having spent 14 years teaching GCSE maths at Frome College, I believe I am very well suited to preparing our students at Oakfield for what lies ahead.

“There have been significant shifts in the curriculum at all ages and as a result more and more is being expected of our students.

“There will still need to be the emphasis on preparing our KS2 students for the SATs, but that will never be enough on its own.  These students need to be prepared for success at each step of their journey, and at the heart of this success lies an enjoyment for the subject.

“I am a firm believer that this enthusiasm will always make more impact than natural ability alone.  It also helps to produce resilient learners, and all our students need to develop this skill.

“There is an amazing amount of effort that already goes into moving our Year 5 and 6 students forward, and staff have already given their own time up to support our year 6 students. My aim is to support those colleagues so that they are able to deliver the new curriculum with confidence and passion.

“We have introduced our Year 7 and 8 students to the ‘Numeracy Ninjas’ programme that provides them with weekly opportunities to practise their basic numeracy skills and, more importantly, challenge themselves to beat their own previous best score.

“This is a simple, but revolutionary idea that has engaged all students, and is showing increased confidence, especially from those students that normally struggle.  The students in year 7 have also started a new two-year KS3 plan which we believe will provide the perfect bridge between the SATs and the new GCSEs that they will study at Frome College.

“As a teacher in this day and age I would be lost without Twitter.  It provides news, resources, advice and a great feeling of not being isolated in what you’re trying to do in your school.

We have set up our own twitter handle: @Oakfield Maths and use it to celebrate work that the students are proud to show off, and it’s amazing how many of them want a ‘#selfie’ taken of their work.

“This feeling of pride from our students is what we all want to see, and we hope that we can reach new followers who want to help celebrate their successes.”