What happens when a headteacher keeps teaching? This week, Jon and Becky speak to Kate Frood OBE – a former headteacher who spent 22 years teaching weekly maths lessons alongside school leadership.

Kate shares how her “Mrs Frood Maths” lessons became a model for coaching and inclusion, why stealth differentiation works better than labels, and how to reclaim joy and challenge in problem solving.

Plus, in Maths of Life, Jon investigates why a 1/3 pounder burger failed in 1980s America – and what it teaches us about common fraction misconceptions. Becky takes us into the world of speedcubing, synchronised diving, and complex averages.

It’s a jam-packed episode with stories, laughs and powerful reflections on leadership, subject knowledge and classroom culture.

In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon speaks with headteacher and mastery specialist Omar Jennings about how Number Talks have transformed teaching and learning across his school – from Nursery to Year 6.

We explore:

✔️ What Number Talks are and why they matter

✔️ How they boost fluency, reasoning and oracy

✔️ Practical tips for rolling them out across your school

✔️ The importance of vocabulary (yes, even in EYFS!)

✔️ Why strong pedagogy matters more than any scheme

✔️ Embedding sustainable change in maths teaching

✔️ The power of relationships, looping, and knowing your pupils

If you're a maths leader, classroom teacher or head looking for evidence-informed, practical ways to improve maths teaching across your school, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration.

📥 Get the free companion guide (key takeaways, resources, CPD video): https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/twinkl-podcasts/primary-maths-education-podcast-twinkl-podcasts

Mentioned in this episode:

• Making Number Talks Matter by Humphreys & Parker
• Designing Groupwork by Elizabeth Cohen
• Visible Learning for Maths by John Hattie
• Making Thinking Visible (Harvard Project Zero)
• NCETM resources, and more

In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, we explore the unique joys and challenges of teaching maths in small schools and mixed-age classes. Jon Cripwell and Becky Brown reflect on their conversation with two inspiring educators whose work spans classroom teaching, national leadership, and system-wide school improvement.

👥 Our guests:

• Aimée Tinkler has been a teacher and school leader for over 20 years, including 8 years as a headteacher in Derbyshire. She is President-elect of the Chartered College of Teaching, engaged in doctoral research at UCL Institute of Education, and the author of Small and Mighty – Conversations about Small Schools (publishing this autumn).
• Helen Bowen has over 13 years of experience in primary education, including roles as class teacher, lead practitioner, and headteacher. A passionate maths educator, she is a Primary Mastery Specialist and Local Leader in Maths Education with the GLOW Maths Hub and is now Director of Mathematics at Excelsior Multi Academy Trust.

🧠 Topics covered include:

• How to adapt the mastery approach for mixed-age classrooms
• The power of oracy and reasoning talk in maths
• Structuring consistent maths teaching without rigid schemes
• The vital role of teaching assistants in small schools
• Leadership and collaboration in multi-role staff settings

🔍 Also in this episode:

• 🧩 Becky’s deep dive into competitive speed jigsaw puzzling (yes, it’s a thing!)
• 🔢 Maths of Life: Why we count in base 10—and what other number bases you're secretly using every day

🛠 Resource of the Week:

The Twinkl Maths App – a gamified fluency tool aligned with the Ready to Progress criteria. Great for interventions, rewards effort, and works brilliantly in small school settings.

📥 Free downloadable PDF with key takeaways, CPD clips and resources:

Search for Primary Maths Podcast at twinkl.co.uk.

📧 Feedback or questions?

Email us at primarymathspodcast@twinkl.co.uk

🔜 Next week’s episode:

Jon speaks to Omar Jennings, headteacher at Nightingale Primary in London, about how Number Talks are transforming oracy and conceptual understanding.