Let Teachers SHINE Winner 2025: Sam Tallintire – The Mathematical CPD Library
Sam Tallintire, a maths teacher in Sunderland, is on a mission to make professional development more accessible and empowering for fellow educators. With a background in law before transitioning into teaching, Sam understands first-hand how challenging it can be to build deep subject knowledge – especially in a new discipline.
Now, thanks to a £20,000 Let Teachers SHINE award, Sam is expanding her innovative project: The Mathematical CPD Library – an online platform offering short, high-quality video tutorials aimed at boosting maths teachers’ confidence and subject expertise.
“Because I came to maths teaching from a completely different field, I really understand how daunting it can feel to build up your subject knowledge,” Sam said. “That’s why I wanted to create something that truly supports teachers – a resource designed by a teacher, for teachers.”
The project couldn’t come at a more important time. With a national shortage of maths teachers, many training programmes are accepting candidates with just a GCSE grade 4 (C) in maths, relying on them to fill knowledge gaps during their training.
“In many cases, teachers are asked to learn complex mathematical content on the job,” Sam explains. “Yet, most resources available are aimed at students, not teachers. I wanted to change that.”
The Mathematical CPD Library provides quick, targeted tutorials – typically under 10 minutes long – tailored to the curriculum. These bite-sized lessons allow teachers to choose specific topics they want to improve, track their progress, and build confidence one step at a time.
After receiving an initial £5,000 development grant from SHINE last year, Sam created a version of the library aimed at primary school teachers. With this new funding, the platform will now grow to support secondary educators too.
“Since the first grant, I’ve been able to turn a spark of an idea into a functioning website that teachers are already finding helpful,” says Sam. “Now, with this latest award, I’m excited to continue developing the project and reach even more teachers.”
The vision for the library is long-term. “It’s incredibly motivating to think about where we could be in 10 years. This isn’t just a quick fix – it’s about building something sustainable and meaningful for the teaching community,” Sam adds.
Reflecting on her journey so far, she says: “Receiving this funding was a real vote of confidence. It reminds me that people believe in this idea and in the potential it has to make a real difference. Yes, building something like this is hard – at times it’s felt like climbing a mountain – but SHINE gives you the ropes and helps you keep going.”