Essex Research School update – 15 June 2026
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Latest updates from the Essex Research School – including Not Just the Answer: Why Mathematical Talk Matters, Meet the Team, and More Than a Score – Rethinking Assessment in Primary Maths.
Not Just the Answer: Why Mathematical Talk Matters!
In mathematics classrooms, talk is often reduced to quick-fire answers. But what if we shifted the focus from correctness to thinking?
In this new article, Sarah-Louise Johnston explores how high-quality mathematical discussion can transform learning by making pupils’ thinking visible. Drawing on the EEF’s TOLD framework, the piece highlights how structured talk supports pupils to explain, justify and refine their ideas.
✅ Reveal misconceptions
✅ Deepen conceptual understanding
✅ Develop independence and motivation
If we want pupils to think like mathematicians, we need to hear them think!
Read the full article here: Not Just the Answer: Why Mathematical Talk Matters
Meet the Team: Growing Our Secondary and Leadership Expertise
We’re delighted to be expanding the Essex Research School team with the successful recruitment of a number of Secondary Evidence Leads in Education (ELEs), alongside the appointment of Don Wry, CEO of HEARTS Academy Trust.
This strengthens our offer across the Essex region and will enable us to share even more subject-specific insights, classroom expertise, and leadership perspectives to support colleagues at all levels.
This expansion means we are now better placed than ever to offer a broader, more connected professional development offer across 2026–2027, combining evidence-informed classroom practice with system-level leadership insight.
Find out more about the team here: Meet the Essex Research School Team
Free PD Event: More Than a Score – Rethinking Assessment in Primary Maths
📅 Monday 6 July 2026
🕓 4:00–5:00 PM
💻 Online
How can we move beyond marking answers as simply right or wrong?
This free session led by Elizabeth Millane, NCETM Primary Maths Mastery Specialist and Accredited PD Lead, explores how observation and listening can transform assessment in KS1 Maths.
Building on our Clips from the Classroom resource Beyond Right and Wrong, the session focuses on how understanding pupils’ thinking, not just their answers, can shape more responsive teaching.
You’ll explore how teachers can:
✅ Use assessment to uncover what pupils know, don’t yet know, and why
✅ Adapt teaching in real time
✅ Address misconceptions earlier and more effectively
✅ Strengthen planning, modelling and task design
This session is ideal for primary teachers and leaders looking to refine assessment practice and deepen mathematical understanding.
Find out more and book your place here: More Than a Score: Rethinking Assessment in Primary Maths
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