School programme guide

We provide funding to your school to support the delivery of the programme. Each school receives a grant of at least £2997 per year (2025/26). Note: there may be a slight increase with inflation. Our… Continue reading

We know that our pupils are becoming more adventurous, articulate and accepting. Pupils are more confident in class when answering questions and explaining their thoughts. They are also more interested in working and learning from… Continue reading

The programme Axiom Maths is a 5-year taught enrichment programme working with pupils from Year 7 to Year 11. We commit to doing everything we can to support them to maintain the highest levels of… Continue reading

We believe in the power of maths to transform lives and nations. Access to that power should not depend on a child’s background. Our mission is to help every child with the heart and head… Continue reading

Welcome to the Axiom Maths circle programme. We are delighted that you have decided to become mentors and Maths Excellence Coordinators. Currently, half of the top-attaining 11-year-olds from disadvantaged families are no longer top-attaining by… Continue reading

This page has moved. If you’re curious about how a Circle works in practice, Session 0 is a complete example of an early session with Year 7 pupils. Session 0 gives a snapshot of how… Continue reading

Who can be a mentor? Mentors may have diverse mathematical backgrounds and diverse prior experiences of teaching. Mentors are passionate and have a strong conceptual understanding of maths. They should be working towards or have… Continue reading

Good mathematicians are adventurous, articulate and accepting. We are trying to teach more than just knowledge – we are also trying to teach the behaviours that make great problem solvers. Pupils sometimes see maths as… Continue reading

What is studied in Axiom Maths circles? Axiom Maths is a taught enrichment programme. In their circles, pupils do not encounter content from a later Key Stage in the National Curriculum (or equivalent). Maths circles are not ‘self-study’… Continue reading

Problem-solving can be taught Maths circles around the world show us that it is possible to create an environment where pupils learn to solve sophisticated mathematical problems – this is our aim. Problem-solving is often… Continue reading

As part of our ongoing support, schools receive at least one programme development visit every year. This visit allows us to collect and share best practice and provide feedback and advice on programme implementation. Your… Continue reading

Professional Development Events The Axiom Maths professional development offer includes induction training for all new mentors as well as regular training sessions throughout the year. The timetable of events for 2026/27 will be published soon… Continue reading

As MExC you are responsible for ensuring all maths circle in your school are delivered to the highest possible standard. This part of your role includes: Training on this leadership aspect of the role will… Continue reading

Mentors play a fundamental role and are essential to the success of the programme. Their key responsibilities include delivering engaging maths circles each week, ensuring consistent pupil participation, and guiding pupils through the full curriculum… Continue reading

Each school nominates a Maths Excellence Coordinator (MExC) to lead the Axiom Maths programme within their school. Their primary role is to deliver or coordinate maths circles for pupils. Continue reading

We believe that pupils’ attendance and retention will be supported by understanding the wider programme that they are enrolled upon, particularly as it grows more exciting. What do pupils need to know?   Continue reading

To encourage strong engagement by pupils, include other school staff in their journey with the Axiom Maths programme and ensure they know the aims of the programme and the successes of your pupils. This could… Continue reading

The support of parents and carers is crucial for pupils getting involved and remaining engaged with the programme. Parents and carers can be instrumental in overcoming practical and attitudinal barriers to engaging with the programme,… Continue reading

Mentoring maths circles is not just about academic mentoring – we aim to support pupils more widely than this. To this end, we suggest that mentors take a pastoral approach to their mentoring and your… Continue reading

The best strategy for recruiting the right pupils for maths circles varies from school to school. Plan your strategy well in advance and be ready to refine it each year. There are various factors that… Continue reading

Half of top-attaining 11 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds are no longer top attaining by 16. You play an important role in changing this statistic by identifying and engaging these pupils. Attainment SATs We believe… Continue reading

We collect the data below so that we can properly manage and evaluate the impact of the programme. We use the pupils’ data to support their progression through the programme and undertake long term tracking… Continue reading

The below is a run-down of the new pupil survey process, with screenshots. This is for a test group of pupils and mentors. 2. Scroll down to the student survey section. If you have been… Continue reading

This page outlines some additional support and guidance for the bulk upload process, including an FAQ section. This process can be challenging if you have not uploaded data by bulk to websites in the past.… Continue reading

The Hub is designed to be the ‘one-stop-shop’ for the delivery and impact measurement of the Axiom Maths Programme in your school. Continue reading

Downloadable guidance for running your maths circle Below you’ll find key documents to support you in running your maths circles. Choose the resource that matches where you are in the Axiom Maths programme. Returning MExCs… Continue reading

Ensure registers are uploaded onto the hub Session registers track pupil attendance patterns and inform resource creation and curriculum adaptation. Registers are vital to enable us to report back to our funders. It also gives… Continue reading

The set up of the room To support collaboration, pupils should sit in a circle or a similar arrangement by putting desks together or in a horseshoe arrangements. For larger groups, you may wish to… Continue reading

Autumn kick-off The online kick-off meetings in September will give you all you need to know to have a successful year. Look out for an email from us in the first week of September with… Continue reading

After school Running the circle after school means that it provides a full hour of uninterrupted time. When it is straight after school, other teachers can remind pupils it’s on. Parents and carers can also… Continue reading

In Axiom Maths circles: For more about the maths circle approach, click here. Continue reading

Here is a summary outlining the key structure and expectations for both new and existing circles within our programme, along with how you’ll play a key role in the programme’s successful implementation. Programme outline New… Continue reading

  After your first year of partnership, you'll transition your Year 7 circle into Year 8. You will also start a new circle in Year 7. A key learning is that having wider buy in… Continue reading

Training Those being funded as part of the Junior Mentor Programme will be expected to attend an introductory online ‘launch’ training session. Following this, we also provide schools an induction programme to deliver to their… Continue reading

Selection We suggest selecting those who: See the ‘Junior Mentor recruitment guidance’ document for more details. This is on the Axiom Maths Hub as part of the 'Junior Mentors’ training package' under ‘Materials and Resources’. Recruitment We have… Continue reading

Schools might find that they have more interested eligible pupils with the ‘heart and head’ for maths than the standard 6 -10 pupil capacity of a circle led by one adult mentor. To increase capacity,… Continue reading

We want to offer our schools more opportunities to bolster the success of your maths circles. We don’t yet know what the highest impact opportunities will be, but we are dedicated to finding out. This… Continue reading

Maths Circles are the backbone of what we do. While essential, they alone aren't enough. To help all our pupils become excellent mathematicians, especially those facing significant challenges, we need to go further. We're expanding… Continue reading