About this day
Welcome to our GCSE Maths in Action day!
Join us for the ultimate maths enrichment day designed for KS4 students. Through five high-energy, interactive sessions, students will unlock the magic of mathematics, deepen their understanding of key principles and discover just how exciting maths can be.
Our incredible speakers—from leading academics to industry experts—will showcase the real-world applications and value of maths, in ways that will captivate and inspire.
With live polls, quizzes, and audience participation, this isn’t just a lecture—it’s an experience! Plus, our Exam Success session will equip students with expert strategies to excel in their exams. Join us at GCSE Maths in Action where maths comes to life!
Host: Sophie Maclean (Mathematician and Communicator) Exam Session: Nicole Cozens
“A well structured day with thought-provoking sessions!”
– Dame Alice Owen’s School-
Programme & speakers
How to Expect the Unexpected Kit Yates, University of Bath
Kit will explore why we struggle to predict what’s going to happen next – whether that’s to do with personal finances or pandemics. He’ll reflect on the randomness of everyday life, showing how we often assume things will happen in a linear way, even though reality follows nonlinear patterns. Kit will argue that we all need to improve our understanding of probability and nonlinearity, so we can problem solve and make better-informed decisions.
About Professor Kit Yates
Kit Yates is an author, broadcaster and academic specialising in the role of mathematics in everyday life. Kit completed his PhD in mathematics at the University of Oxford and is now Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath. He is the author of two books, The Maths of Life and Death (a Sunday Times Science Book of the Year) and How to Expect the Unexpected.
Putting the colour into mathematics Sophie Maclean, Mathematician and Communicator
Colouring may seem simple, but did you know that it can also lead to some advanced and interesting Maths? Join Sophie to discover the rules governing how we can colour things, and to see how colouring can help us solve some interesting mathematical conundra.
About Sophie Maclean
Sophie is a Maths Communicator and a member of the team behind Chalkdust Magazine. She has previously worked as a Quantitative Trader, a Software Engineer, and a Maths tutor.
Can environmental data help us make smarter choices? Darren Macey, Education researcher, designer, writer, and communicator
In a world with ever expanding sources of information, competing priorities and polarised perspectives how can we make better decisions? Data is key, but how can we use data and statistics to guide our choices and solve real-world problems.
About Darren Macey
Darren is a mathematics educator, writer, and communicator trying to convince people to love statistics and data. He is the co-author of Teaching Statistics, a trustee of the Teaching Statistics Trust, and a Royal Statistical Society Statistics Ambassador.
Mathematical Magic Zoe Griffiths, Maths communicator
Magic tricks might seem impossible, but they’re often just a case of following a set of steps – just like a maths problem. This session will give students the chance to apply their mathematical thinking skills to reverse-engineer a card trick, as well as see and unpick some calculator tricks that work because of maths.
About Zoe Griffiths
Zoe Griffiths is a mathematician who travels the UK and internationally giving talks and workshops in schools (through Think Maths), at science festivals and comedy nights. Zoe has talked about maths in places ranging from the Numberphile YouTube channel to BBC Radio 4. Before entering the world of maths communication, Zoe worked as a classroom maths teacher and is still a teacher at heart.
The unexpected maths of juggling Colin Wright, Mathematician and Juggler
Can maths really help you become a juggling pro? Maybe not quite—but it can definitely open your eyes to the surprising patterns behind the tosses and catches. Join mathematician Colin Wright for a lively, gravity-defying performance in our theatre, where he’ll reveal how maths was first used to understand juggling and how it continues to inspire new and creative patterns.
About Dr Colin Wright
Colin received his maths doctorate in 1990 from Cambridge University. While at Cambridge he also learned how to fire-breathe, unicycle, juggle and ballroom dance.