Work Groups bring senior leaders and maths teachers together multiple times during the school year, rather than being just a one-off course. There is a common aim which is to research, develop, practise and recognise best practice. The emphasis is on collaborative, exploratory, evidence-based professional development and research, continuing through the whole year for substantial professional and systemic change: these are not top-down, one-off courses.
These Work Groups are made up of a group of schools working on a particular focus together and this involves multiple sessions (between 3-7 throughout the year). Mostly this will involve two teachers from the same school however it will depend on the Work Group and will be mentioned in the flyer.
The Work Groups are delivered through locally-based Work Groups led by an expert, in which participants contribute to and learn from the national project. Each Maths Hub puts together its own programme of Work Groups to run locally, and many projects have Work Groups in all Maths Hubs, making them available to anyone who wants to join.
While the majority of Work Groups are offered to any teachers, teaching assistants and practitioners who wish to join, there are some which are only in certain geographical locations, which require previous participation in a project or which do not have open recruitment.
Normally the Work Groups are part of a national collaborative project, which means the Work Group Lead will be working with other Leads up and down the country running the same project. They will support each other and learn each year from Work Groups run to ensure the following years get even better.
The NCETM works with Maths Hubs each year to decide the focus of individual Work Groups that will be run across the country for the academic year. These projects are called National Collaborative Projects.
Individual Hubs also have the opportunity to lead Innovation groups, which are responding to a local need they have noticed. This then may lead to a National project in future years
Every Work Group will:
-Work towards four main outcomes: professional learning, practice development, whole school approaches/policies and pupil outcomes.
-Focus on the classroom with planning and observing lessons taking a central place and real collaboration happens within the group.
-Have a strong eye on evaluating the impact of the Work Group and its activity so that those reflections and evidence feed into the national picture.
This work is being carried out by your Maths Hub Lead School, which holds a grant with the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the Maths Hub programme.
For the purpose of data protection legislation, the DfE is the data controller, and the Maths Hub Lead School is the data processor for the personal data processed as part of the Maths Hubs programme.
How we will use your information
The Maths Hub Lead School collects and processes your personal data on behalf of the DfE for the following purposes:
To enable the lead school to carry out specific functions for which they are responsible
To enable the Lead School to correspond with you about any Maths Hub project you have registered for
To enable the Lead School to send you information on Continued Professional Development (CPD) opportunities offered by Maths Hubs
To evaluate and assess performance of Maths Hub projects
To derive anonymised statistics which inform programme funding and strategic decisions about Maths Hubs and Teaching for Mastery within DfE, National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and the Maths Hub Lead School.
The categories of your personal data that the Maths Hub Lead School will collect, process, hold and share for this project may include:
Name (including previous names)
Date of Birth
Contact information such as email address and phone number
School name and unique reference number (URN)
Teacher Reference Number (TRN).
Why our use of your personal data is lawful
In order for our use of your personal data to be lawful, we need to meet one (or more) conditions in the data protection legislation. For the purpose of the Maths Hubs and Teaching for Mastery programmes, processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, as defined in Article 6 (1)(e) of the GDPR.
Who we will make your personal data available to
We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include contracted partners (who we have employed to process your personal data on our behalf) and/or other organisations (with whom we need to share your personal data for specific purposes).
Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation. For the purpose of the Maths Hubs programme:
NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics), with whom the DfE holds a contract to coordinate and manage the Maths Hubs programme, is a data processor.
Maths Hubs, with whom the DfE holds individual grants with each Maths Hub Lead School to carry out activities aligned with the aims of the Maths Hubs programme, are data processors.
As such, personal data collected by Maths Hubs that is relevant to the successful coordination and delivery of the Maths Hubs programme will be shared with the DfE, the NCETM, and other Maths Hub Lead Schools. Such data may also be shared with an independent evaluator of the Maths Hubs programme and Teaching for Mastery programme.
The DfE reserves the right to share your personal data with new lead schools where additional Maths Hubs are appointed or where a lead school is de-designated and lead school status is transferred. The DfE also reserves the right to share your personal data with any organisation or consortium that holds a future contract with the DfE to coordinate and manage the Maths Hubs programme or with an independent body who will use the data to evaluate the work of the programme.
Transfer to Countries Outside the European Union
Your personal data will not be transferred outside of United Kingdom or the European Union.
How long we will keep your personal data
The Department will only keep your personal data for the lifetime of the Maths Hubs programme and, where relevant, Teaching for Mastery programme plus 6 months, after which point it will be securely destroyed. Please note that, under Data Protection legislation, and in compliance with the relevant data processing conditions, personal data can be kept for longer periods of time when processed purely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research, and statistical purposes.
Your data protection rights
Under certain circumstances, you have the right:
to ask us for access to information about you that we hold
to have your personal data rectified, if it is inaccurate or incomplete
to request the deletion or removal of personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing
to restrict our processing of your personal data (for example, permitting its storage but no further processing)
to object to direct marketing (including profiling) and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics
not to be subject to decisions based purely on automated processing where it produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you
Please contact the Maths Hub Lead School regarding any of the above Find your hub | NCETM
Withdrawal of consent and the right to lodge a complaint
Where we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, please let us know by contacting the Maths Hub Lead School and state the name of this project.
Alternatively, you have the right to raise any concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via their website at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.
Last updated
We may need to update this privacy notice periodically, so we recommend that you revisit this information from time to time. This version was last updated: September 2023.
Contact Info
If you have any questions about how your personal information will be used, please contact the Maths Hub Lead School and enter “Maths Hub privacy notice” as a reference. For the DfE’s Data Protection Officer (DPO), please contact us via gov.uk and mark it for the attention of the ‘DPO’.
London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub is committed to providing a quality service and working in an open and accountable way that builds trust and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our hub is by listening and responding to the views of the people we serve, and wider stakeholders.
The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear and transparent framework for addressing complaints, raised informally or formally, related to the activities, services, or conduct of the hub. This policy outlines the procedure for making a complaint, informally and formally, the steps involved in investigating and resolving complaints, and the avenues for escalation if necessary. The policy applies to all stakeholders interacting with the hub.
Therefore, we aim to ensure that:
making a complaint is as easy as possible
we treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our provision which calls for a timely response
we deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially
we respond in the right way – for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken, etc.
we learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures.
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally and dealt with quickly.
Our aims are to:
resolve informal concerns quickly
keep matters low-key
enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred.
Where complaints cannot be resolved informally, the formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
2. Definitions
A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the actions, decisions, behaviour, services, or activities of the hub.
A Maths Hub is the partnership of schools, colleges and other organisations providing maths system leadership through the Maths Hubs Programme to improve maths education in a geographical area. Each hub is led by the Maths Hub Lead (MHL). At London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub it is Valbona Baci and Jonathan East.
A Lead School, College or Trust receives this DfE grant on behalf of the Maths Hub. The Senior Leadership Links (SLL) are members of the Lead School/Trust leadership team and are the formal representative of the Lead School and link to the DfE. At Fox Primary School it is Nick Marsh and Emma Madden.
3. Responsibilities
London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub’s responsibility will be to:
acknowledge the complaint, if formal, in writing;
respond within a stated period of time;
deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint; and
take action where appropriate.
A complainant’s responsibility is to:
bring their informal complaint to London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub’s attention within four school weeks of the issue arising;
if required, bring their formal complaint, in writing, to London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub’s attention normally within eight school weeks of the issue arising;
raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff in London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub;
explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date;
allow London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub a reasonable time to deal with the matter, and
recognise that some circumstances may be beyond London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub’s control.
4. Confidentiality
Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both the complainant and London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub maintain confidentiality. However, the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own facts). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.
5. Complaints Procedure
Written records must be made by London Central and West (LO3) Maths Hub at each stage of the procedure.
Stage 1: Informal investigation and resolution
In the first instance, a member of the MHLM team must establish the complexity and seriousness of the complaint. An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.
Stage 2: Formal complaint
If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the complainant should be advised that a formal complaint may be made, and the following procedure should be explained to them. It may sometimes be appropriate for a different member of staff, preferably the MHL, to make this explanation.
A formal complaint should be made in writing. The attached form should be used.
In all cases, the complaint must be passed on to MHL. In the event of a complaint about the MHL the complaint should be passed to the SLL, and if the complaint is about the SLL, this must be passed on to the headteacher of Lead School or CEO of Lead Trust, Emma Madden. If the complaint is about the Lead School/Trust,then the complaint must be raised directly by the complainant with the DfE (email: Maths.PROGRAMME@education.gov.uk).
The MHL or SLL, depending on the nature of the complaint, must acknowledge the complaint in writing within one week of receiving it.
One of the above will investigate the complaint. Any conclusions reached should be discussed with the relevant hub member involved and their line manager.
The person making the complaint will receive a response based on the investigation within four weeks of the complaint being received. If this is not possible, a letter must be sent explaining why.
Stage 3: Appeal
If the complainant is not satisfied with the above decision, they can appeal to the Lead School/Trust. The Lead School/Trust will convene a sub-group of senior leadership representatives.
The sub-group will examine the complaint and may wish to carry out further interviews, or examine files/notes. They will respond within four weeks in writing. Their decision will be final.
6. Publication and Accessibility
This Complaints Policy will be made available on the Maths Hub’s website and in any relevant communications materials.
7. Review
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with best practices.
