Introducing our full list of speakers
for Maths — No Problem! Summit 2023: Empowering Education Leaders
Alan Brown
Alan Brown is Headteacher and Joint Maths Lead at Oldfield Primary School in Chester, and serves as Advocate Headteacher at the Cheshire and Wirral Maths Hub, where he supports other schools in recruitment and engaging with the local hub. He has worked with staff to engage in the Mastery Maths project and the Mastering Number Programme in KS1. Oldfield is embarking on the KS2 programme this year. Alan is keen to support the well-being of teaching staff by identifying an efficient and effective system of assessment in maths. Oldfield has used Insights from Maths — No Problem! for assessment since 2020.
Dr Alison Borthwick
Dr Alison Borthwick is an international education and mathematics consultant. Her career has spanned more than 25 years and included early years, primary, secondary, HEI and advisory roles. She has worked with many organisations in the UK and abroad, including the University of Cambridge, the Royal Society, Education Development Trust, STA and the BBC, as well as schools and MATs. She currently works with Peppa Pig, the UNICEF team in Jordan and LEGO Education.
Adam Gifford
Adam Gifford is subject specialist and series editor at Maths — No Problem! and co-host of the School of School podcast. He is a former primary school headteacher and the first primary mathematics specialist leader of education in the UK. He was the strategic primary lead for the Maths Hub pilot programme at the NCETM, where he was also involved in the textbook and diagnostic assessment programmes. Adam has worked closely with the NW1 Maths Hub as well as Manchester University, numerous local authorities and teaching school alliances.
Craig Robinson
Craig Robinson is Assistant Headteacher and Maths Lead at Kingsley Primary School in Hartlepool where he began his career as a Teaching Assistant in 2007. Over the past 15 years, he has gained a vast amount of teaching and leadership experience in a fully inclusive school, which currently has 50 additionally resourced places for children with ASD/high needs and three SEND bases.
Dan Edwards
Dan Edwards has worked in education for many years and held leadership roles in the secondary and primary sectors. He was a principal at a large inner-city primary school before moving into executive leadership. Throughout his journey, Dan has amplified the need for staff development, care and wellbeing to achieve and sustain positive organisational culture. He established Leading In The Now to help organisations do things differently. A regular columnist for several publications, Dan is also writing his first book to be published in 2023. He speaks nationally and internationally about leadership and organisational culture.
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith, named one of the 50 most influential people in education, is an award-winning teacher and leader with a passion for supporting those who work with children and young people. As Founder of PedTech and Director of One Life Learning, Fiona provides strategic support to schools and trusts, professional learning providers and EdTech companies. She is Associate Lecturer and Consultant Researcher at The Open University and a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. She is also the author of the best-selling book From EdTech to PedTech: Changing the way we think about digital technology.
Laurice Prempeh
Laurice Prempeh has served as Assistant Headteacher at an inner-city London school for 14 years, and as Mathematics Subject Leader for the past seven. She has hands-on classroom experience spanning Reception to Year 6. Beyond her school duties, Laurice works as a Primary Mastery Specialist with the London North East Maths Hub, where she helps East London schools implement Teaching for Mastery in their own settings. Laurice is deeply committed to advancing Teacher CPD, and has successfully designed and delivered a SCITT training program over the past three years.
Louise Hoskyns-Staples
Louise Hoskyns-Staples is an independent leadership and mathematics consultant. She supports teachers and leaders to research their own practice and evaluates large national projects for the DfE and NCETM. Louise has leadership experience as head teacher and as head of mathematics at the University of Worcester. She is lead assessment author at Maths — No Problem!
Lucy Crehan
Lucy Crehan is an education explorer and consultant who works with governments, NGOs and LAs on education policy research and design. She teaches an online Masters module on International Comparisons in Education at the University of Buckingham. Her book, Cleverlands: the secrets behind the success of the world's education superpowers, documents her personal odyssey through Finland, Japan, Singapore, Shanghai and Canada and answers three fundamental questions: How do these countries achieve their high scores? What can others learn from them? What is the price of this success?
Lynne McClure
Lynne McClure, OBE, is Head of Mathematics Solutions within the Cambridge Partnership for Education. She previously led the Cambridge Maths project, Nrich and Underground Maths and her experience spans primary, secondary and post-16 phases and initial teacher education. Lynne has travelled around the world engaging with teachers, resource designers and policymakers in mathematics education. In the UK, she sits on the board of the Royal Society’s Mathematical Futures programme and is a trustee of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences and National Numeracy. She chairs the governing body of the recently opened Cambridge Maths School and sits on various other advisory boards.
Michael McLoughlin
Michael McLoughlin is a passionate mathematics educator who currently serves as Assistant Headteacher and Maths Coordinator across five mixed-age small schools. With an impressive nine-year tenure using the Maths — No Problem! curriculum in diverse educational settings, Michael has honed his expertise in delivering this innovative approach in single-, dual- and mixed-age school environments, ensuring that students receive a top-notch mathematics education that sets them on a path to success.
Naomi Ward
Naomi Ward is a purposeful leader who helps educators take a stand for their own unique value. A secondary school teacher and curriculum leader for 15 years, Naomi left the profession in 2014 after struggling to balance teaching with having a young family. Now an ICF Accredited Coach, Naomi works with educators seeking to reclaim their purpose and create their lifeʼs work. In 2019 she founded Purposeful Educators, a community active in the UK and globally. In 2021, she joined Making Stuff Better, where as Head of Learning she designs coaching and leadership programmes. She has edited two books about wellbeing in the education sector and is a Governor at her local primary school.
Rabia Ahmed
Rabia Ahmed is assistant headteacher and curriculum lead at West Twyford Primary School. She has 24 years’ experience in both primary and secondary education settings. Ahmed regularly hosts Maths Open Days and Professional Development courses, some of which have been designed to meet the needs of attendees from international schools. Rabia has also led whole school maths training in other primary schools.
