Professional development that helps keep great teachers in the classroom

Around one in ten maths teachers leaves the profession each year, and the challenge is often greater in the most disadvantaged communities. Yet Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough is bucking this trend, retaining staff at an unusually high rate. We speak to headteacher Rachel Coning to find out more.

The school context

Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough serves a community where many young people face significant disadvantage. The 11–18 school has just under 1,600 students, and in many year groups more than half are eligible for Pupil Premium funding. Around a quarter of students have identified special educational needs, and the number of students who speak English as an additional language is increasing.

The school serves some of the poorest families in the country, concentrated in neighbourhoods in the lowest tier of the national deprivation scale. Headteacher Rachel Coning explains that this creates a complex context for the school.

‘Although lots of our students are classed as Pupil Premium, when you look more closely a significant number are in the very lowest band of deprivation,’ she says. ‘Lots of our children face real challenges outside school.’

In a school serving such a community, staff stability is critical. High turnover creates ongoing recruitment challenges, weakens consistency in teaching and makes sustained improvement harder to achieve. Teachers who remain over time can build a stronger understanding of the students, the curriculum and the community they serve. At Macmillan Academy, the staff retention rate is around 95%.

Rachel attributes strong staff retention to a close, supportive team with a shared moral purpose. Access to professional development and opportunities to take on new roles also help sustain motivation. Engagement with Archimedes Maths Hub plays a key role in supporting retention within the maths department.

Looking outward for professional development

Macmillan Academy has worked with the Maths Hub for many years. The connection began when former head of maths Vicky Cook became involved with hub activity and began bringing ideas and approaches back into the department. Over time, participation widened so that more staff could take part in Work Groups and other professional development opportunities.

‘The Maths Hub encourages us to look outwards. It brings high-quality continuing professional development into school and helps make sure staff don’t become insular.’

In a school where many teachers stay for a long time, that outward-looking perspective is important. External networks and subject-specific development help teachers continue to develop their practice. It also provides opportunities that might otherwise require staff to leave the school in order to progress in their careers.

Rachel says that seeing the benefits of subject-specific professional development in maths has also encouraged other departments to look beyond the school for similar opportunities. ‘We’ve encouraged heads of department to be part of subject networks as well,’ she explains. ‘For example, our MFL department joined a local MFL hub. We know that being connected to subject-specific professional development outside school is really valuable.’

Building expertise within the department

One of the most significant developments for the maths department has been participating in the Secondary Mastery Specialist Programme.

‘Having a Mastery Specialist bringing that expertise into the department has transformed our Key Stage 3 curriculum,’ Rachel says.

The scheme of work has been rewritten, drawing on teaching for mastery principles and curriculum design approaches developed through the programme. Alongside this, staff have received ongoing support as they implement changes in the classroom.

‘It’s not just about the initial CPD. It’s being able to talk after a lesson and say, “That didn’t go quite how I wanted it to. What could I do differently?” Having that expertise in the department every day has been massively beneficial.’

Teachers can observe one another, discuss approaches and reflect on lessons with someone who understands the context they are working in. This day-to-day support helps teachers improve their practice.

Professional development that helps retain staff

Macmillan Academy has a stable staff team, with many teachers staying for long periods. While this continuity is positive, Rachel recognises that teachers still need opportunities to grow professionally. For Rachel, the Maths Hub offers those opportunities through networks, collaborative work and specialist programmes.

‘Something like the Maths Hub gives our staff access to really good professional development. It also gives some of our strongest teachers the chance to do something a little bit different.’

Rachel points to the school’s current head of maths as an example. Before becoming head of department, she had already been closely involved in Maths Hub activity as a Secondary Mastery Specialist. ‘She could probably have gone elsewhere earlier as a head of department,’ Rachel says. ‘But the projects and networks she was involved in kept her motivated and committed to our students.’

Targeted development through Work Groups

The maths department continues to take part in Maths Hub Work Groups that support its priorities for improvement.

Recent participation reflecting school improvement goals has included:

• Securing Foundations at Year 7 – aimed at strengthening core mathematical understanding for students who are not yet secure in Key Stage 2 concepts
• Supporting Students to Achieve a L2 Qualification in Mathematics – aimed at improving teaching approaches for GCSE resit students
• Higher-level Maths Achievement – aimed at increasing the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who achieve the highest GCSE grades 

Rachel is clear about the school’s aims for its students.

‘I think our students do really well at GCSE. But we want to do more to build firm foundations in Year 7 to support better progress and improve attainment at GCSE so students, regardless of their backgrounds, can achieve the best grades possible.’

A long-term partnership

In common with schools serving similar disadvantaged communities, leaders and staff at Macmillan focus on ensuring that background does not limit what students can achieve, encouraging all students to attain as highly as their peers. The Maths Hub offers valuable support in addressing this challenge and has become part of how the school works with both teachers and students.

In a community where young people face significant barriers, keeping experienced teachers in the classroom is vital. Access to subject-specific professional development, collaboration with other schools and opportunities for teachers to develop their expertise all contribute to that stability.

And at Macmillan Academy, that stability means students benefit from a consistent team, a well-embedded curriculum, and teachers with strong subject knowledge and a deep understanding of the students and community they serve.

‘There’s a real sense of moral purpose here. We all want these children, who often face significant challenges, to go on and do amazing things.’