Innovative maths education charity Axiom Maths have highlighted Sara Thompson, Mentor and Maths Excellence Coordinator (MExC), at The Priory School in Shrewsbury for her inspiring commitment to nurturing mathematical talent.
Sara launched Maths Circles at Priory in September 2024, in partnership with Axiom Maths. Axiom’s mission is to ‘help every child with the head and the heart for maths to realise the potential of their power.’ The school also aims to help students foster their love of maths and nurture them to achieve success at GCSE and beyond.
The circle is a collaborative group of nine students who meet weekly to tackle structured problem solving. This goes beyond the school curriculum and gives students the opportunity to explore challenging topics, new concepts and become confident using unfamiliar mathematical language.
The students are selected to join the maths community based on their previous attainment in maths and on the recommendation of their class teacher for demonstrating skills such as problem-solving resilience, working well in a group—and a love of the subject!
Adventurous, Articulate, Accepting
Each week, the students are encouraged develop and reflect on three skills:
Adventurous Thinking big ideas even if they don’t always lead to a successful outcome.
Articulate Explaining their ideas to mentors and their peers.
Accepting Listening and learning from each other’s mistakes, as well as their own.
Sara Thompson, Mentor and Maths Excellence Coordinator, said: “Our Maths Circle is a great learning experience for both me and the students. I really enjoy introducing the students to a problem, then sharing their mix of frustration and excitement as they grapple with finding a solution, whilst steering their discussions to bring out the maths.”
Sara’s work was highlighted by the Axiom Maths Schools Partnership team in their March 2025 newsletter: “(Sara) took a holistic approach to identifying potential mathematicians, looking beyond test scores to find pupils with genuine mathematical curiosity and enthusiasm. Through conversations with the maths department and observing pupils’ natural interest in mathematical figures like Alan Turing, (she) identified students who showed both academic potential and genuine passion for the subject.”
Notes for editors
The 3-18 Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) of primary and secondary schools across Shropshire, with a community of over 5,000 students.
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