Facilitated by the University’s Access & Outreach team, the 45-minute classes – run by a qualified Maths teacher at the Luton campus – will be made available to Year 10 and 11 students who wish to improve their Maths grades and whose parents have not studied at university level.

The Maths Surgery is completely free and aims to support pupils who might not have additional help from a parent at home or whose families cannot afford private maths tuition. Roisin Kendall, Access & Outreach Manager, says the sessions are a much-needed provision due to the Covid-19 pandemic:

“Students have missed out on so many opportunities due to the pandemic; as an active member of the community the University has placed a real emphasis on the return to face-to-face support. 

“These GCSE sessions allow students to access professional support and guidance in a higher education setting. We are so proud of this project and the work of the team.”

The Access and Outreach team originally launched an Online Maths Support Programme in November 2020, designed to provide additional content and material for students in a response to disruptions to education caused by Covid-19.

The programme was designed to help Key Stage 4 students answer GCSE exam paper questions and over 95% of students who attended these early sessions commented that they felt the online sessions had aided their understanding of difficult topics and built their confidence in the subject.

A year later, from November 2021, these online sessions were developed into face-to-face booster sessions hosted within the University’s STEM Building. Feedback showed that students desired in-person tuition for help with difficult topics, which has ultimately led to the creation of the 2022 Maths Surgery.

Sundip Sahota, Access & Outreach Support Officer, is delighted to see students returning to the sessions and growing in ability and confidence as a result. She said:

“It is has been great to see so many of the same students returning every week to our maths booster programme and being proactive to ask questions in order to build their confidence in the subject. Attendees feel supported and challenged in an environment different to their typical school setting and have enjoyed visiting our campus to gain some extra support.”

To register your interest in attending the surgery, email access@beds.ac.uk for further information. Pupils should bring a topic or question that they would like support with, as the sessions do not have a pre-agreed structure so they can be tailored to suit the participants.