Sunderland teacher wins national Let Teachers SHINE competition

Sam Tallintire, from Southmoor Academy, has been awarded a development grant by Let Teachers SHINE to begin work on her project, The Mathematical CPD Library.

The grant, totalling £5,000, will enable the production of the first part of a collection of high-quality video tutorials for maths teachers. The videos will help them develop their subject and teaching knowledge in all areas of the curriculum.

These video tutorials will be supported by resources to be worked through or used with students in the classroom.

Ms Tallentire is one of seven winners of Let Teachers SHINE, an annual competition run by education charity SHINE. Past winners, including Times Tables Rock Stars and Hegarty Maths, have gone on to help millions of schoolchildren.

The funding from Let Teachers SHINE will enable Ms Tallentire to fine-tune her project, before progressing to a fully-fledged programme.

She wants to develop the training library because there is a lack of comparable resources available for teachers who have completed their initial training.

“If you want to upskill yourself currently, there are only really those videos aimed at your GCSE students,” she said. “This then removes any chance of a teacher considering the pedagogical skills they might need and there is no opportunity to consider how topics might link together at a higher level.”

The current difficulties in recruiting maths teachers mean that many people are joining the profession without a maths degree. Ms Tallentire herself studied law at university.

“If you are coming in without a maths degree, you are going to have to work quite hard to get your knowledge as good as it could be,” she said.

When Sam became a maths teacher, she was required to complete an advanced diploma in mathematics before she could enter the classroom.

With the shortage of maths teachers worsening, entry standards have been lowered and that additional year of training is no longer a requirement.

“It means people get in the classroom quicker but possibly need a little bit more support in their development,” Sam explained.

The shortage of teachers also makes it difficult to find time to attend training courses held outside school.

Sam’s solution of online-based videos targeted specifically at maths teachers will make it easier for them to access training during the school day.

“Our goal is to provide practical and easily accessible resources that empower teachers to enhance their skills and ultimately improve student outcomes,” she said.

Ms Tallentire hopes the project will enable teachers to truly share a thorough understanding and love of mathematics at a higher level.

While the project will initially be focused on Sunderland schools, Ms Tallentire hopes it will eventually extend much further.

“It’s a north-eastern project, but there’s no reason that couldn’t be nationwide. It should be applicable to all maths teachers, no matter where you’re based, and it hopefully would then improve teaching in the classroom and results longer term.”

Meanwhile, Ms Tallentire is excited to get started on the pilot. “I’m really, really pleased to receive the grant from SHINE,” she said. “It is so nice to have people outside of your organisation believe in your idea and believe that it can have an impact on students.”

Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “We know that there are many committed, passionate teachers of maths, and that numeracy is a foundational skill that helps all students to thrive.

“This CPD library will mean that teachers can develop and hone their subject knowledge and pedagogical skills and students can access the very best in maths teaching, in a way that raises the bar for everyone. We are very pleased to be supporting the development of Sam’s work, and excited to see the impact it can have.”