What is Maths Week England for?
To raise the profile of mathematics in England and increase participation and enjoyment. You can read our aims here.
Why just England rather than the UK?
Ireland and Scotland already have established Maths Weeks – these have been very successful, but until now there has been nothing equivalent in England. And yes, we have reached out to friends in Wales.
When Will it Be?
Maths Week England 2022 will take place from 14th to 18th November.
How Can I Help?
You can spread the word by telling people about this website. We also have Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages. You can start to plan an interesting maths event for your school or college. You can encourage your children’s school to take part.
Who Is Behind Maths Week England?
Maths Week is put together by a committee of people who have a shared vision – to raise the profile of mathematics, and help people realize their potential. In reality, though, it is the hundreds of teachers, practitioners, and lecturers up and down the country who make Maths Week England such a success. Without them there would be no Maths Week England!
So what’s the vision?
We are hoping that schools, colleges, universities and other organisations throughout England will put on special events to raise awareness of, and participation in, the wonderful world of mathematics. We believe it is vital for our country’s future success that we raise a generation of young people that is confident with mathematics.
Do we have to do specific activities?
100% NOT! A large part of the Maths Week Philosophy is that we recognise and celebrate the autonomy, creativity and professionalism of our teachers. Between now and November we will build and curate a list of ideas and a bank of resources for things that have worked well for other people, though, for those who are not yet feeling inspired!
We already have a maths week in our school; is this just doubling the work?
If you already have a maths week, that’s fantastic! You can either keep it where it is, and just use this site for ideas and resources, or better still move it to coincide with the National event from next year onwards so we are all celebrating mathematics together – it’s entirely up to you, as all school diaries differ, though obviously we hope you will choose the latter option!
Do you have public funding?
No. At the moment Maths Week England is funded by small donations and run by volunteers. That’s not to say we are not keen to find backers, but we decided to get MWE up and running first before approaching anyone. We have received a few small donations from sponsors; see our sponsor page for details.
Teachers are so busy helping children catch up- do you think there is really an appetite for a National Maths Week, especially in these times of Covid-19?
Fair question, but our view is that the only way to know the answer to that question is to try it and see what happens! Teachers still love the actual teaching side of their job, so we need to make this a very admin-light week for schools. Also, perhaps we’re all a little anxious and uncertain at the moment. Perhaps we all need a bit of a lift; could Maths Week England help?
How do we sign up to take part?
You can register simply on our home page to tell us how many children in their school are taking part in Maths Week England. This will help us see how effective we have been at encouraging schools and teachers to engage with the project. Of course, it will also help potential sponsors of Maths Week England 2022 to see the possible impact their donations could make!
Does it have to be a whole-school thing?
Not at all – if you want to start small and just do something a bit different with a single class or two, that’s absolutely marvellous; just be sure to let us know who’s involved by signing up now!