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: Matt Pritchard (STEM Communicator) Exam Session: Nicole Cozens
“A well structured day with thought-provoking sessions!”
– Dame Alice Owen’s School-
Programme & speakers
Signals in the noise: understanding randomness Darren Macey, Education researcher, designer, writer, and communicator
What connects a lukewarm cup of coffee, a lottery ticket, and the number of medium t-shirts in a clothes shop? Randomness is all around us and is surprisingly predictable. But if randomness is predictable, is it really random after all?
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.
Using a Chessboard for Anything Other Than Chess Ayliean MacDonald, Maths Artist and Content Creator
According to Ayliean, if you know the basics of chess, you could definitely beat her—though that might just be her excuse for being terrible! But chessboards aren’t just for playing games. They’re a playground for puzzles: solved, unsolved, and possibly unsolvable. Let’s explore the curious challenges hidden in the checkered world of the chessboard.
About Ayliean MacDonald
Ayliean, brimming with nerdiness and creativity, showcases the beauty of Math through art and videos. Catch her on TikTok, Numberphile, hosting weekly Maths Circle livestreams for charity, and serving as the Community Mathematician 2023 for MathsCity Leeds.
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.
Stories from Maths Ioanna Georgiou, Mathematics educator and author
We’ll explore fascinating moments in the history of maths! From ancient counting and the origins of algebra to why we can’t divide by zero, how maths helps us build tube maps, and even the mystery of multiple infinities—plus, what cats have to do with it all!
About Ioanna Georgiou
Ioanna Georgiou is a Maths Storyteller who brings history to life through captivating mathematical tales. Author of Mathematical Adventures! and Peculiar Deaths of Famous Mathematicians, she reveals the surprising ways maths has shaped our world. A Fellow of the IMA and a Chartered Mathematics Teacher, Ioanna works with organisations to make maths engaging, accessible, and relatable.