Earlier this month, we caught up with Charmayne Leggett, Trust Curriculum Director for Mathematics, to find out more about her formative experiences in education and her aspirations for the future.
Charmayne, can you tell us how you got into teaching?
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to teach (actually, I either wanted to be a teacher or a tornado chaser, but the tornado chasing wasn’t really a viable option!). As a child, I regularly played ‘teachers’ – writing out my ‘lessons’ on the chest of drawers in my bedroom! So I’m lucky that I knew what I wanted to do from an early age, however, it certainly wasn’t always maths specifically that I wanted to teach. That aspect came to me a lot later. During my A Levels, my career aspiration was to become a geography teacher, however, I ended up doing well in my maths exams (and it was fast becoming my favourite subject), so I switched my plan from geography to maths teaching at this point. After completing my ‘middle years’ PGCE, followed by some teaching experience in a primary school (teaching everything, from science to English) I realised that it was maths that I particularly loved teaching. Upon qualifying, I began teaching at Swavesey Village College, where my love for the subject continued to grow and I had some truly great experiences that had a profound influence on my teaching career. I’ve been in my current role here at the Trust for three years now. Time really has flown!
Tell us more about the experiences that shaped you as an educator…
When I was at secondary school, maths was taught in a very ‘textbook’ way. It wasn’t particularly inspiring and it didn’t accommodate the variety of learning preferences within the classroom. It’s only been in further education, that the world of maths has really opened up for me. This is what I hope to bring to our students. I want them to feel a passion for maths that I didn’t feel (at all) when I was in secondary school. One of the most formative things that happened to me was in 2015. I had the opportunity (with a select group of teachers from across the country) to look at maths teaching practices in China. We spent a few weeks in Shanghai schools, researching their teaching methods. It was a real ‘lightbulb moment’ for me and it opened my eyes to how we can make maths more accessible here in the UK.
So how do we unlock maths for young people?
The modern teaching methods (many of which came from China), utilise tools such as ‘manipulatives’ (physical objects or drawings) to teach maths in a more tangible and visual way. We’ve also moved away from a single-answer philosophy… We now talk through HOW and WHY we do things in maths. It’s less black & white and more about the process. I want all students to believe that they can achieve in mathematics.
How are you bringing this way of thinking to life at the Trust?
At the moment, we’re focusing on ways to provide exceptional teaching at all ability levels. So we’re stretching some, whilst scaffolding others. It’s about empowering everyone to achieve their full potential in maths. I remember at university, arranging a set of tiles into a square (to tackle a challenging mathematical concept) and this tangible approach really helped me to better understand the process (the ‘how’ if you like) – it brought the concept to life for me. My vision is that when you come into one of our lessons, you’ll see manipulatives on the desk or students drawing pictures, to help them make sense of the maths problem. I want it to feel less abstract – that’s the goal.
How does the trust support its members?
What’s great about Meridian Trust is that we’re given a lot of professional freedom. So for Maths, we’ve got 12 secondary schools working together and collaborating on a brand new curriculum design. This will be implemented over five years and each secondary headteacher has agreed to allow one member of staff to be out of the classroom for four days to develop it with us. This is a real testament to the Trust’s commitment to its people. Collaboration is key for an effective curriculum re-design and it’s easy to pay ‘lip service’ to the idea of it, but the engagement and investment from our secondary schools is clear and demonstrates the passion behind the Trust’s vision.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I absolutely love baking! Macarons are my speciality. I made my own wedding favours – which were macarons in a geometric gift box. Also – I’m a mum of two, with a son who really loves trains, so because of him – I’m now a bit of a train enthusiast!
Any advice for those who are newly embarking on a teaching career?
There are so many opportunities at Meridian Trust. The Cambridge Partnership is an outstanding institution to enable people get into teaching and there are many career pathways for heads of department, non-specialist teachers and those who are interested in leadership roles. There’s something for everybody and the Trust encourages us to make the investment in time, giving us opportunities to step out of the classroom and develop. CPD isn’t just an ‘add-on’ here, there’s a real investment in teachers at the Trust. It’s an amazing place to work.