Strengthening Maths Education Through Partnership with Harris Federation

In February, F4S attended the Harris Maths Conference 2026 as part of our ongoing partnership with the trust. This is a collaboration rooted in a shared commitment to improving outcomes in maths education and broadening student aspirations.

As one of the largest multi-academy trusts in the UK, the Harris Federation serves a diverse student population across London and the South East. Many of its schools support communities with higher levels of socio-economic disadvantage, including students eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and those living in areas identified within the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).

By working closely with Harris schools, we are helping to ensure that young people, regardless of background, have access to professional networks, career insights, and role models that can expand their sense of what is possible.

Connecting Maths Classrooms to the World of Work

At the conference, we engaged directly with 15 maths teachers as part of our wider outreach efforts. These conversations focused on:

• Raising awareness of F4S and our mission
• Exploring how our platform can support maths teaching and careers education
• Identifying opportunities to embed employer encounters into the curriculum

Teachers were particularly interested in how F4S can:

• Bring real-world relevance into maths lessons
• Connect students with professionals in STEM and related industries
• Support the Gatsby Benchmarks through meaningful employer engagement
• Provide accessible, scalable opportunities for entire classrooms

These discussions reinforced something we see time and time again: when educators are given the tools and connections to link learning with real careers, student engagement and aspiration increase.

Building Momentum Across the Trust

It was especially encouraging to see growing awareness of F4S across the trust. Several teachers were already familiar with our work, a strong sign that our partnership is gaining momentum and embedding itself within the Harris network.

But our relationship with the Harris Federation goes far beyond event attendance.

It reflects a strategic, long-term approach to:

• Strengthening educator engagement across a large and influential trust
• Embedding employer encounters within core subjects such as maths
• Increasing equitable access to professional role models for students in underserved communities

By maintaining a visible presence at key trust events and investing in direct educator engagement, we are deepening relationships and strengthening collaboration at scale.

Bridging Aspiration and Opportunity

At F4S, we believe that every young person deserves access to inspiring professionals and meaningful employer encounters, not just those with existing networks or connections.

Our work with the Harris Federation demonstrates what is possible when trusts and organisations align around a shared goal: to bridge aspiration and opportunity gaps and ensure that maths education is not only academic, but transformational.

We look forward to continuing this partnership and supporting even more Harris educators in connecting their classrooms to the world of work.