Clare Hargraves
Clare is Headteacher of Cambridge Maths School. Clare is an expert in mathematics education known for her transformational, expectations-driven leadership in maths departments, secondary schools and sixth form colleges across the east of England.
Clare’s previous roles include the teaching of mathematics across a wide range of settings; leading outstanding maths departments; a deputy headship in a school rated in the top 1% of state schools nationally, and a sixth form headship where she was responsible for transforming the outcomes of a previously underperforming college.
More recently, Clare’s trust-wide consultancy work has been focussed on curriculum design and the professional development of staff, with facilitating and embedding a culture of rigorous high expectations in mathematics education at the forefront of all that she does.
This wealth of experience means she is uniquely well placed to lead the Cambridge Mathematics School in its endeavour to ensure truly outstanding and enhanced mathematics provision is available to A-Level students across the region.
Clare is passionate about the ability mathematics has to promote and develop intellectual excellence, resilience and curiosity, and feels privileged to be the founding headteacher of this extraordinary school.
Dave Banham
An exceptionally experienced and highly regarded teacher, Dave is the Deputy Headteacher in charge of Mathematics at the Cambridge Maths School.
He has a huge wealth of experience spanning over thirty years improving and leading Maths departments at both school and Trust level. His passion for the subject has led him to being a certified specialist leader in education where he has worked with colleagues in many schools, coaching and developing them to become outstanding practitioners.
He is a qualified Advanced Skills Teacher and a Continual Professional Development lead for the National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics, with specialisms in sixth form mathematics. In the past he has worked as a consultant for Cambridge Assessment and PIXL, working to develop exemplary GCSE and A-Level teaching resources for use across schools internationally.
Most recently Dave has been leading an outstanding Maths department in another ELA school and working with the local Maths Hub to deliver training on how best to teach the most challenging aspects of GCSE and A-Level mathematics.
Ellen Berry
Ellen studied maths at Cambridge University where she specialised in applied maths and then stayed on to study a master’s in astrophysics.
After completing her PGCE at Cambridge University Ellen taught maths at a high performing school for four years, where she was able to support with Oxbridge preparation, as well as running various maths challenges including the UKMT.
Having applied to Cambridge from a state school in East Anglia, Ellen knows just how important a role the Cambridge Maths School will play in promoting the study of maths across the region. She is extremely excited to be a part of the teaching team and help provide the support and extension for students, as well as working with colleagues to provide outreach opportunities to other schools in the area.
Ellen particularly enjoys teaching beyond the syllabus by looking at interesting and challenging problems, including STEP questions, and by striving to frame A-Level content in a broader mathematical context.
Rebecca Butler
Rebecca is a dedicated professional with a wealth of experience in safeguarding and pastoral support within the education. As a member of the senior leadership team at the Cambridge Maths School, Rebecca oversees student wellbeing, SEN, behaviour, Safeguarding and our personal development curriculum.
With a passion for amplifying student voices and promoting equal opportunities, Rebecca brings a dynamic approach to her role. Her tenure as a senior leader at an Outstanding secondary school in Cambridge equipped her with extensive experience in pastoral leadership, encompassing safeguarding and wellbeing.
Rebecca has spent much of her career committed to supporting mental health and fostering wellbeing among students. She advocates tirelessly for equal opportunities, striving to create an inclusive environment where every student can realise their full potential.
Rebecca’s educational background in Photography, coupled with 11 years of teaching Art and Photography, has instilled in her a creative perspective that enriches her interactions with students, fostering innovative approaches to learning and development.
Rita Chow
After studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge, Rita went into teaching and has taught A-level chemistry in two high-performing schools in London and Cambridge for many years.
She is excited to join the Cambridge Maths School to work with students who, like her, are passionate about maths and sciences. Rita aims to use her experience in teaching and expertise to further develop their problem-solving skills necessary for success in their chemistry studies and beyond.
Alongside teaching, Rita began teaching herself computer programming during her sabbatical and is currently studying for a part-time degree in computer science. She seeks to challenge herself and plans to teach computer science as an additional subject in the future.
Gracinda Colaço
Throughout her eleven years teaching at schools in London, Kuala Lumpur, Bedford and Cambridge Gracinda has strived to give her students a broad and deep understanding of the maths they are learning – encouraging them beyond rote learning and towards maths as a connected body of knowledge.
At school Gracinda helped her friends during maths lessons and enjoyed finding multiple ways of explaining different concepts. On reading Richard Skemp’s article explaining the difference between relational and instrumental understanding she realised that teaching maths was her vocation. After obtaining her first class maths degree from Durham University, she did her PGCE at Kings College London and quickly discovered her passion for teaching A Level maths and further maths. She has been fortunate to have experience in a range of different schools and taught IB as well as A Levels as well as teaching English in Madrid; all of which have broadened her skills and knowledge. Gracinda is excited to be a part of Cambridge Maths School and help nurture students from diverse backgrounds at a school which offers a wealth of opportunities that they cannot find elsewhere.
Jake Gordon
Jake is Lead Teacher of Computer Science at Cambridge Maths School. An experienced entrepreneur and software developer, he ran his own company before teaching maths and computing.
Jake has over 20 years of experience creating web-based software. His latest creation – an infinite whiteboard – is in daily use by over 1,000 teachers. His previous company, AllYearbooks, is the UK’s leading school yearbook company, and was sold to Tempest Photography in 2017. Jake has also worked for start-ups in Cambridge and London on data visualisation, analytics and graph theory.
Since switching to teaching in 2019, he has immersed himself in pedagogical approaches, appearing on Craig Barton’s Tips for Teachers podcast and hosting a workshop at MathsConf. Jake is excited at the prospect of inspiring a new generation of computer scientists, and will be borrowing aspects of agile software development in start-ups to super-charge the learning environment at Cambridge Maths School.
Roselle Graham
Roselle is the biology teacher at Cambridge Maths School. Roselle is an experienced teacher of biology both at sixth form colleges and at university level.
Roselle is really interested in the interaction between maths and biology. She first became interested when studying mathematical biology as part of her degree at the University of Cambridge. She has had a previous career in biochemical research and so saw first-hand how important a thorough understanding of maths is to work in the fascinating field of biological research.
Roselle is passionate about the natural world and how biology is found in the everyday world around us. Mathematical biology has the potential to improve our future health and wellbeing through bioinformatics and drug discovery, modelling the spread of infectious disease and so informing public policy and using statistical ecology to help understand the impact of climate change.
More recently, Roselle has been working in assessment where she is both a setter and a Principal Examiner. She is excited about preparing students for the right next steps for them and is looking forward to helping the next generation of STEM researchers!
Susan Hutchinson
Susan first indulged her talent for Mathematics and problem solving as a teenager through UKMT Maths Challenges and Olympiads.
After achieving success in UKMT olympiads she was invited to a summer school and an olympiad training camp where she discovered the power and the joy of doing Mathematics alongside like-minded peers. She went on to study mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, achieving a first-class honours degree and then completing the fourth year Master of Mathematics course.
After graduating, Susan’s first full-time job was Cambridge RAG President. In this role she enjoyed leading a large network of university students to raise money for a range of charities, although she soon realised that she wanted to return to education as a mathematics teacher, so that she could inspire the next generation of mathematicians whilst continuing to experience the joy of solving problems. She has since built up ten years of teaching experience across all secondary school ages and abilities and has played a key role in the development of her school’s further mathematics A-Level curriculum.
Susan is passionate about extending and enriching her students’ experiences of mathematics and ensuring that all her students have the support that they need to achieve their goals. In her previous school she launched weekly mathematics enrichment clubs and offered individual support to students preparing for interviews and entrance exams for mathematics related university courses.
Gareth Jones
As a dedicated educator, Dr Jones brings a wealth of experience from both academia and industry to his teaching of physics.
Although he originally started in pharmacology, Gareth earned his PhD investigating the biophysical properties of neural networks and their role in learning and memory. After continuing his research at UCL he then moved to GSK for many years looking at cognition in psychiatric illnesses. Having taught and mentored many students throughout his career Gareth transitioned seamlessly into teaching and has now been teaching 6th form students for over 12 years, specialising in physics
As a 6th form tutor, Gareth has guided countless students through personal development, personal statement writing, and university choices. He strongly believes in fostering intellectual rigour, resilience, and curiosity among students. Problem solving is at the heart of this and is key to all students successful outcomes.
Susanne Mallett
As Director of Outreach at the Cambridge Maths School, Susanne has responsibility for the development and delivery of a programme of activities to promote the mathematical sciences at A Level and beyond.
Susanne’s educational background in Engineering and Financial Management has provided insight into applications of mathematics within the world of work. She is a passionate advocate of providing opportunities for students to see how mathematics is applied across the school curriculum, and beyond.
Susanne has an extensive background working to enhance and develop mathematics and education. She is an experienced teacher of Maths and Business, and a Teaching for Mastery specialist. She is enthusiastic in supporting excellent practice in teaching, designing and leading professional development, and developing resources. She combines her role at the Cambridge Maths School with working as a Local Leader of Mathematics Education for the Cambridge Maths Hub, and as a Maths Education Support Specialist for MEI.
Joanna McEwen
As the Head of Science at the Cambridge Maths School, Joanna will be overseeing the Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses and will be teaching Physics alongside other subject specialists.
After graduating with a degree in Physics with Astrophysics, Joanna worked for the University of Glasgow Physics department teaching international summer schools before moving into secondary school teaching. Joanna is an inspiring and innovative educator who has recently been involved in setting up the A-Level Physics course at a new a new sixth form centre. There she led on curriculum design and the creation of resources to excite and challenge students.
Joanna has also held pastoral roles and understands the importance of the holistic care and development of students’ sense of self alongside their academic progress. With this in mind, Joanna is passionate about advocating for equal opportunities for all students but particularly for girls in STEM subjects where there is a lack of female representation.
Joanna feels privileged to work with extraordinary staff in a ground-breaking school where educating a new generation of ambitious mathematical scientists is at the forefront.
Clare Stourton
During her PhD (in Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) Clare realised that she enjoyed tutoring university students far more than research, and so she went into teaching.
Clare has taught chemistry in schools in Saffron Walden and Cambridge for many years, gaining extensive experience in all the theoretical and practical aspects of A-Level chemistry.
Clare is looking forward to working in a dedicated maths and science environment and to the unique opportunities presented by teaching chemistry to such mathematically-minded students. She is keen to provide both individualised support to boost student confidence, and challenges beyond the A-Level curriculum.
Edward Wyncoll
Edward has always enjoyed tackling challenging problems and so after finishing his first class maths degree at University of Cambridge he set out to train as a maths teacher to engage and support students to become the next generation of mathematicians.
Seeing problem solving at the heart of mathematics education, Edward has sought to engage students throughout his ten years of teaching practice, helping them to relish the joy in completing puzzles and giving them the strategies to do so. He has worked in various educational settings, including a 6th form college, secondary school, and grammar school, where he has fostered links between mathematical topics to solve problems and promoted a love of learning among his students.
He has led on A Level Maths and Further Maths in his previous school, amassing a wealth of experience in supporting students and working with individuals to help them reach their next steps. He has particularly enjoyed his time working with students seeking to study mathematics or related degrees at university.
Now, he is excited to be teaching at the Cambridge Maths School, where the focus is on promoting a deep understanding and love of mathematics. Edward is passionate about inspiring young mathematicians and is dedicated to nurturing their growth and success in the subject.
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