Explain clearly
Careful modelling, precise mathematical language and worked examples that make each stage of a method visible.
Poole · Mathematics Education · Applied Mathematics
Teacher of Mathematics Applied Mathematician
I am Dhairya R Shah, a qualified Teacher of Mathematics at The Cornerstone Academy in Poole, with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a PGCE and an MSc in Applied Mathematics with Distinction from Imperial College London.
My teaching combines clear mathematical explanation, purposeful practice, responsive questioning and high expectations, with a particular interest in helping pupils become confident and increasingly independent mathematical thinkers.
Teaching in practice
In my classroom
My classroom practice is structured around making mathematical thinking visible, checking understanding carefully and moving pupils towards confident independent work.
Check understanding
Targeted questioning, mini-whiteboards and misconception checking to establish what pupils understand before moving on.
Practise deliberately
Guided practice followed by increasingly independent work so that accuracy, fluency and mathematical confidence can develop.
Adapt responsively
Scaffolding, prompts and appropriate challenge informed by pupils' starting points without lowering academic expectations.
Build independence
High expectations alongside appropriate support, with the aim of helping pupils reason, persevere and solve problems independently.
Professional experience
Teaching across different learning contexts
My experience includes sustained classroom teaching, school-based teacher training, SEND support, tutoring and undergraduate mathematics education.
September 2026 – Present
The Cornerstone Academy
Teacher of Mathematics · Poole
Full-time secondary Mathematics teaching with responsibility for planning, assessment, classroom routines, responsive teaching and pupil progress.
September 2025 – August 2026
The Regis School
Teacher of Mathematics and Science · Salaried SCITT
Taught Mathematics across KS3–KS4 and Science during a demanding salaried school-based QTS and PGCE route.
Broader experience
Inclusive and academic teaching
Schools · Tutoring · Undergraduate education
Experience includes Year 7 nurture, Foundation and Higher Mathematics, SEND support, volunteer tutoring and undergraduate-level mathematical teaching.
Evidence of pupil progression
Taught a Year 8 Mathematics class in which nearly one-third of pupils progressed to a higher Mathematics set over the academic year.
Subject expertise
Mathematical depth that supports classroom teaching
My MSc in Applied Mathematics at Imperial College London and undergraduate Mathematics background provide strong subject knowledge beyond the secondary curriculum.
My academic experience includes calculus, differential equations, complex analysis, mechanics, numerical methods, mathematical modelling and mathematical physics, alongside research in applied mathematics.
Explore my academic backgroundResources
A useful starting point for learning and teaching
I maintain a broad collection of publicly accessible resources for students, independent learners, teachers and trainees. The Resources area is intended as a practical place to direct someone when a particular resource may help them progress.