The GCSE Maths Tutor

👋 Hi, I’m TGMT And in 2023, I took on the biggest challenge of my teaching career so far: Leading a GCSE Maths department that was seriously underperforming and had just had it's worst result ever! It felt like a “Kitchen Nightmares” moment — Only instead of Gordon Ramsay, it was me... And I had just 3 years to turn things around. The result? Record-breaking GCSE Maths results. In this thread, I’ll break down: ✅ How I did it ✅ Why I did what I did ✅ The exact resources I used Let’s dive in 👇 1/12

I’ll share a simple example tomorrow. It started with expanding brackets… but completely changed how I teach everything.

That’s where the overlap happens: Students thinking hard while making progress. Not just completing… but understanding.

Busy ≠ learning Completing questions ≠ thinking The overlap is where it matters. 🧵

Over-explaining is the silent killer of maths lessons. Tighter explanations → more thinking → better learning. Say what matters. Then get out of the way. 🧵

@tes @TheNFER A pay rise below inflation isn’t really a pay rise. If we want to address shortages, real-terms pay is the metric that matters.

Teachers should get a pay rise of at least 7% over 3 years to avoid school staff shortages, says @TheNFER in response to the DfE’s 6.5% proposal tes.com/magazine/news/…

Great maths teaching isn’t about saying more. It’s about: ☑️ Precision ☑️ Chunking ☑️ Assessment for learning ☑️ Knowing when to step back Explain clearly. Then let students think.

The problem in many lessons: Over-explaining the simple Under-explaining the complex Both reduce thinking.

@disheartened_gy @tes @adamboxer1 It’s worth noting that’s not independent research, it’s a survey of perceptions from a trade body representing uniform suppliers. That’s quite different from independent evidence showing impact on outcomes, attendance or inclusion.

@gcsemathstutor @tes @adamboxer1 schoolwearassociation.co.uk/new-briefing-w…

While most secondary schools require students to wear blazers, nearly half of teachers would prefer young people to wear ‘joggers and a polo’ or no uniform, exclusive polling reveals tes.com/magazine/news/…

@EvidenceInEdu @tombennett71 @ProfCoe In maths, it’s a great reminder that: Completed questions ≠ understanding I’ve found mini whiteboards + immediate adjustment far more meaningful than pages of marked work students don’t act on.

"The first time I encountered the concept of ‘poor proxies’ was during a presentation by @ProfCoe in 2016 at the Festival of Education at Wellington College. This was a significant moment in my professional development. It challenged assumptions I had previously accepted, encouraged me to reflect on my classroom practice, and inspired me to learn more about how learning actually happens." Blog by Kate Jones hubs.la/Q047hnz-0

This idea of “poor proxies” really shifted my thinking as well. It’s easy to mistake visible activity for learning, especially in maths where lots of work can look productive. The real question is: are students thinking hard, and does the feedback change what they do next?

There isn’t 50 years of conclusive evidence on this, most large reviews (including EEF) say the impact of uniform on outcomes is unclear. No one’s claiming to “know more”, just sharing examples that have worked in practice. We made a small, structured change and attendance and inclusion improved significantly. That’s the context I’m working in.

@gcsemathstutor @tes @adamboxer1 Yeah that’s right you know more than the UK education department that has completed studies for 50 years proving just he advantages 2 strict uniform policy. U know more than schools enforcing dress codes that r achieving high exam results, u clearly know more than all of us.