We’re super excited to have Ultimate Classroom back for another season. Did you ever expect your career as a maths teacher would land you a TV gig?

Definitely not! I trained to be a classroom teacher because I love the daily rhythm of working with students face to face. Television was never part of the plan. But when the opportunity came, I realised it’s just a different scale of the same mission. I think what makes Ultimate Classroom wonderful is that it models what great learning can look like and it reaches students who might never otherwise see maths taught with curiosity and care.

What did you love most about filming the show?

100% my favourite part was the seeing the contestants at work. For me, the beating heart of the show is young people being ambitious and taking intellectual risks. Watching them collaborate, wrestle with ideas, and gradually build confidence (especially under pressure!) is incredibly powerful. I also loved seeing how different personalities approached the same problem. I felt like it wonderfully illustrated that there isn’t just one way to be smart – intelligence is diverse!

You clearly have a huge passion for teaching maths. How did that come about?

My joy in maths grew from the seed of seeing young people empowered by solving problems for themselves. For me, maths was never just about getting answers. It was about patterns, logic, and the thrill of something clicking into place. As I got older, I realised many students miss out on that experience because they think maths is about speed or memorisation. Teaching became a way to change that story. I love helping students see maths as a creative, sense-making subject. When they discover that it’s about thinking and understanding rather than just calculating, everything shifts.

How do you win over a student who’s convinced they’re “not good at maths”?

I focus on changing their experience of mathematics. If a student has only ever felt confused or rushed, it’s hardly surprising that they’ll believe they’re not capable. Every effective teacher designs small, achievable challenges that let students experience success. We slow down. We talk about reasoning, not just answers. Over time, repeated evidence of progress starts to rewrite their internal narrative. Confidence grows from competence, and competence grows from supported practice.

If families could adopt one mindset around maths, what would you suggest?

I’d encourage families to value persistence over performance. Instead of asking, “Did you get it right?” ask, “What strategy did you use?” or “What did you learn from that mistake?” When children see that effort, reflection, and growth are celebrated, maths becomes less about proving yourself and more about developing yourself. Time and time again I’ve seen that shift reduce anxiety and build resilience.

What’s something about learning that you believe now that you didn’t when you first started teaching?

Early in my career, I thought clarity alone was enough. If I explained something well, surely everyone would understand. Now I know learning is much more active and messy than that. Students need time to struggle productively, to articulate their thinking, to make and correct mistakes. Understanding isn’t transmitted. It’s constructed by the learners themselves within their minds so that they can use it in the future to solve novel problems I may never have shown them. My role is to design the conditions where that construction can happen safely and rigorously.