Mathematics

Curriculum Information

	Mrs Sweeney Lead Practitioner I’m Mrs Sweeney, Lead Practitioner of Maths at PGHS. My job is to make sure that all teachers in school are providing you with the best quality maths teaching both in your maths lessons and also in other subjects which have a mathematical element to them. Like all the teachers here, I am extremely passionate about my subject; I know that sometimes mathematical problems can seem challenging, but I like to show pupils how to break down a problem into smaller steps teach you to do be able to this for yourselves. I hope to show you that maths isn’t a ‘hard’ subject for you to be worried about and approaching a problem with a positive attitude is always the first step to success!
	Mr Cheal Assistant Curriculum Leader I started teaching all the way back in the last century, 1999 to be exact. After enjoyable stints in other schools around the country I came back to my birthplace of Lancashire with my family in 2009 and started at Penwortham Girls’ High School. I can honestly say that the pupils here are the nicest and most receptive that I have taught and I greatly look forward each day to seeing what will arise in lessons and the progress that is made in Mathematics. I am often asked why I wanted to be a Mathematics teacher in the first place. I have a number of easy answers to that, firstly I like to solve problems. In the end isn’t that what Maths lessons are all about? A series of questions where you need to work through and find the correct answers. These can vary from a simple sum to calculating the chances of winning the lottery. Secondly it gives you a much greater understanding of the world around us, the technology we use, the buildings we inhabit and work in and the things that we spend money on all rely on the use of Mathematics. Finally there is the simple fact that Mathematics can be extremely fun with plenty of opportunities for group work, projects, outside lessons and investigations these all give the pupils the chance to develop their personal skills in preparation for the workplace, which after all is the real reason why we do all this! If I had to pick a favourite area it would definitely be Probability and Statistics, calculating the chances that events will happen in the world and trying to predict the future by deciding what is most likely to happen. This gives you a better insight into how the world works, if only it would work for the lottery!
	Mrs Bennett MathsHub Abacus – NW Secondary Lead for Mathematics Mastery Teaching Hi my name is Mrs Bennett and I have been teaching maths for over a quarter of a century, so am the oldest on the team! I am only in school 3 days a week as I also work for the Abacus NW Maths Hub two days a week as a secondary mathematics teaching for mastery lead. I love teaching maths and using technology in my lessons and I enjoy using SMART to teach mathematics for understanding and have some fun through the game-based activities. I am a SMART Exemplary Educator which helps me and other staff learn how to use the Interactive Whiteboard creatively and effectively in your lessons. My whole school leadership role is now to research and train staff on the best way to teach you on-line.
	Mr Cafferkey Hello, My name is Mr Cafferkey and I am one of the Maths teacher here at Penwortham Girls’ High School. I am delighted to have returned to PGHS after having a change at teaching in a mixed setting. I love teaching here at PGHS because the girls are always ready to tackle any problem they come across, using their grit and determination. My favourite area of maths is algebra because you can use it to generalise a problem and use it again for problems that are similar. Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family, playing football and developing my understanding of web development.
	Miss Hasan Hello! My name is Miss Hasan and I am one of the Maths teachers here at Penwortham Girls’ High School. I joined the school in 2016 as a newly qualified teacher and I have been here since! Teaching has always been a career I have wanted to pursue- it is an incredibly rewarding profession and Maths has always been a subject I enjoyed; the sense of achievement after reaching the answer to a challenging maths problem is still just as amazing! My favourite area of Maths has got to be Algebra- sounds scary, I know, but it really isn’t! Some of the things I enjoy doing outside of school are reading and baking treats for my family and friends!
	Mr McVey Hello! My name is Mr McVey and I am one of the maths teachers here at Penwortham Girls’ High School. I am delighted to have returned to PGHS after spending a couple of years in different settings, one of which was in hospital helping young people with mental health issues to keep their maths skills sharp whilst not attending school. I love teaching here at PGHS because the students are so polite, hardworking, ambitious and eager to embrace new learning. I enjoy seeing students using maths to solve problems, especially when they are tricky and need a bit of perseverance to complete. Sometimes this can take a few attempts but that feeling of achievement when you get there is great! Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family, cycling and playing football, although these days I am definitely in the ‘veteran’ category!
	Mrs Phillips Hello! My name is Mrs Phillips and I am a maths teacher at PGHS. Prior to this I have been a maths teacher at another Preston school for 15 years. What I love most about my job is how rewarding it is to help students achieve what they are capable of and being able to give them the guidance and support to do this. My favourite area of maths is algebra. I really enjoy teaching such abstract concepts and using algebra to solve what can be complex problems. Outside of school I love spending time with family and friends. I am involved in the Scout association as a cub leader in Ormskirk. I have an 8-year-old boy and we love camping, Lego and board games.