Enigma Maths Hub Leadership Team
Strategic Lead
Hub Lead
Assistant Lead Primary
Assistant Lead Level 3
Primary Teaching for Mastery
Secondary Teaching for Mastery
Our Mission
The Enigma Maths Hub offers professional development through Network Collaborative Projects and through locally designed projects. In all projects, national and local, teachers and others collaborate in a Work Group.
Who We Are
Ian Bacon
Enigma Maths Hub Strategic Lead
Ian is Senior Deputy Headteacher at Denbigh School in Milton Keynes. A Mathematics teacher by trade, Ian has held various leadership positions across three schools.
Despite the exciting challenges and opportunities provided through his role, Ian maintains that the best part of his job is spent in the classroom with students, helping them to achieve not only their best in any formal public examinations but also to develop their problem solving and thinking skills and above all a love of Mathematics!
Ian was fortunate enough to take part in the NCSL/DfE Phase 1 trip to Shanghai and see for himself how their approach to teaching Mathematics lays the foundation for a wide ranging fluency and confidence in Mathematics that enabled their students to flourish.
Jayne Webster
Enigma Maths Hub Lead
Jayne joined the Hub in January 2019. She has taught Mathematics for 20 years in a variety of schools across the country and most recently spent 6 years as Vice Principal at Milton Keynes Academy.
Jayne has always valued being involved in teacher networks and is an accredited PD lead.
In 2015 Jayne took part in the England-China exchange. This sparked her interest in Teaching for Mastery and Variation Theory. She shares this experience and passion in her other role as Secondary Teaching for Mastery Lead.
Ruth Edwards
Enigma Assistant Maths Hub Lead – Primary
Ruth’s background includes working mainly in Primary schools as maths coordinator as well as being a Deputy Head teacher where she worked to enable pupils to develop a fascination and love of mathematics that is accessible and relates to pupils’ experiences. She has worked as a Mathematics consultant in a range of schools and has worked with a number of Local Authorities in introducing and embedding National Mathematics initiatives.
Ruth has written supplementary materials for the NCETM relating to the National Curriculum 2014. These have included the NCETM Reasoning documents as well as some materials linked to the NCETM mastery documents.
As an NCETM CPD standard holder, Ruth has been working alongside Primary schools to further develop mathematics learning and teaching with an increasing focus on Teaching for Mastery.
Ben Waine
Enigma Maths Hub – Level 3 Lead
Ben joined the hub in 2018. He has been Assistant Curriculum Leader (second in department) for mathematics at The Buckingham School for the past 3 years. Ben is currently working to further develop the engagement of year 5, 6, 7 & 8 teachers in Aylesbury Vale with mastery and year 5-8 transition as well as leading a 2019-20 Work Group looking at “Challenging Issues at GCSE“.
Prior to moving to Buckingham, Ben was Key Stage 3 Coordinator at Mark Rutherford School in Bedford for 3 years and a member of the Mid-Bedfordshire and Luton Key Stage 3 Professional Study group (PSG); Ben taught in Secondary Schools in and around Bedford for 4 years prior to becoming a Key Stage 3 Coordinator. This led to an interest in the year 5 to 8 transition and also to an interest in mastery teaching. Ben is currently training as a Secondary Mastery Specialist and completed his NCETM-accredited CPD lead training in 2018-2019.
Catherine Smyth
Enigma Maths Hub – Primary Teaching for Mastery
A primary school teacher for over 20 years, Catherine has a wealth of experience teaching across the primary age phases. She has been Assistant Head at Duston Eldean Primary school for the last 15 years working as Maths Lead to direct and embed development across the school.
After completing the Maths Specialist Teacher program in 2010, her passion for maths and desire to reach out to all pupils grew. Catherine first joined the hub in 2015 working as a cohort one Mastery specialist. She lead TRG groups with schools across the region, leading training on key principles and providing individual support to teachers in their own school.
She has recently completed the PD Lead qualification with the NCETM and enjoys leading maths development to support adults working with children to ensure they have the appropriate skills and knowledge needed for children to succeed. Catherine has a strong belief that all children have the ability to become mathematicians if they are taught to think mathematically.
Catherine is currently working to establish a local network of primary maths subject leads to keep them up to date with changes while providing the opportunity to work collaboratively and connect with supportive like-minded people.