Decolonising secondary Maths initial teacher education in England

In England, a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention is negatively affecting the teaching of Maths. This is particularly damaging for children from working class, global majority and low-income households – qualifications in Maths being important in the employment market and for some Degree level subjects. The current shortage is framed by a proliferation of school-based Initial Teacher Education (ITE) pathways outside of Higher Education (HE) and a recent Market Review of HE-based ITE that signalled the introduction of a centrally prescribed ITE curriculum.
This article draws on research into a mature HE-based secondary Maths Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme in a ‘superdiverse’ city in the West Midlands of England to offer insights into an alternative partnership approach. Through analysis of data from focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the paper utilises theories of decoloniality and critical pedagogy to argue that current policymaking, rooted in coloniality, underpins the current crisis. Key findings show how HE-based ITE, in partnership with schools and informed by critical pedagogy and an interest in the public good, has infrastructural advantages over school-based programmes. In this case, partnership as an organic, networked collective significantly benefits students and the local communities they come from.