Innovation for International Impact: Improving the teaching of science and mathematics in schools through teacher-led entrepreneurship.
Mathematics and science are incredibly important subjects at school. They support the development of key skills and contribute to the level of STEM graduates that make their way through university.
If fewer children do well in (and love) mathematics and science at school, then fewer students will go on to become STEM graduates and the level of STEM skills across society will continue to drop. Without these skills, society as a whole is not as well placed to tackle our future’s most pressing challenges – in fields like artificial intelligence, crypto-currency and green technology.
For many years, teachers of mathematics and science across England have struggled. Few textbooks and limited support have meant that teachers have often needed to single handedly source their own resources. Some stayed up late to create these, some used the internet to find already existing ones, and some tried to work from general government guidance.
Ten years ago, a maths teacher working at a school in Yorkshire accidentally solved this problem. He started by helping a small group of teachers and these efforts grew into White Rose Mathematics and Science Education.
Today, about 80% of primary schools and almost half of secondary schools in England are using resources created by White Rose Education to teach science and maths. Last year, schools from 140 countries purchased White Rose materials and new programmes were launched by the governments of Malawi and Australia.
Join us for a fireside chat with the founders of White Rose Mathematics and Science Education to learn more about how teachers and other public sector workers can engage in entrepreneurship and how a venture with a social purpose can be scaled to have an international impact.
Speaker Profiles:
Tony Staneff is the son of a shopkeeper who learnt to love maths while adding up bills for customers. He has always loved teaching and wanted all of his students to believe they could succeed at maths. After working as a maths teacher and then head of department, he founded White Rose Education which provides training and lesson resources for maths teachers.
Michael Gosling grew up in poverty in Liverpool. He did not initially plan to be a teacher but found it was more interesting than factory work! After many years as a headteacher, Michael became CEO of the Trinity Multi-Academy Trust, where White Rose Education began. Trinity Multi-Academy Trust is a multi-award winning group of 11 schools educating almost 10,000 pupils.
Moderator: Janella Ajeigbe is a headteacher who has worked in high-achieving primary schools. She is a current MPhil student, studying Education with Mathematics at Wolfson College. She is also writing a book on algebraic thinking. She joined the King’s E-Lab in 2024.
WHEN: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
5.30 PM – 6.30 PM: Fireside discussion in Provost’s Drawing Room
6.30 PM – 7.00 PM: Drinks reception and networking in the Bar
WHERE: King’s College, Cambridge
TICKETS: tickets will be released closer to the event