Milton Keynes MP Callum Anderson champions the power of maths at Enigma Maths Hub event
Enigma Maths Hub hosted its first meeting, of the academic year, for over 40 Local Leaders of Maths Education (LLME) from across the hub region. Gathering together at Milton Keynes College, South Central Institute of Technology in Bletchley, we celebrated the success we had seen last academic year with supporting 349 schools/colleges across 87 hub activities.
Callum Anderson, Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, was invited, and shared his personal journey and vision for the future of maths education in the region.
In a fifteen-minute keynote followed by a lively Q&A, Callum spoke passionately about the role mathematics has played in his own life. He reflected on his upbringing in Dunstable and described how dedicated state school teachers gave him the confidence, coupled with the financial crises of 2008/9 giving the inspiration, to pursue a degree in Economics and going on to work at the London Stock Exchange.
Callum linked this personal experience to the wider needs of the Enigma Maths Hub region, highlighting Milton Keynes’ position at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor: what HM Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has described as the "Silicon Valley of Europe". He stressed the importance of mathematics for sectors such as logistics, fintech, engineering, and green technology, all of which are central to the area’s economy and future prosperity. During the Q&A, he praised the work of Local Leaders of Mathematics Education for multiplying expertise across schools: “The work you all do is so important.”
The event formed part of Enigma Maths Hub’s ongoing work with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), supporting teachers and schools to raise attainment and confidence in mathematics across the region.
“The Maths Hub strapline ‘Making Maths Matter’ is always at the heart of what we do. We firmly believe that with the right support and approach, every child can think like a mathematician and be successful.”