Teacher recruitment advert features incorrect equation

The latest Government TV advert to recruit teachers has been ridiculed after a 15-year-old boy spotted that it features an incorrect maths sum. Eagle-eyed boffin Chris Coombs, 15, noticed the mistake in the 30-second advert, which is regularly shown on Channel 4 and ITV. The Government-funded clip shows the teacher writing ‘(g2)7 = g?’ on a whiteboard and later ‘solving’ it with the answer ‘g2 x g7′.



But the correct answer for the algebraic equation is g14 – or g2 x g2 x g2 x g2 x g2 x g2 x g2. Year 10 pupil Chris, who attends the John Cabot Academy in Bristol, slammed the advert and called for it to be amended as soon as possible. He said: ”I was disappointed to notice that the mathematical calculation is inaccurate.

”The workings the teacher is writing on the interactive whiteboard would not answer the question correctly. I believe this should be amended as the advertisement in question is attempting to recruit potential teachers. Is this a fair reflection of teaching standards in Britain today?”


YouTube link.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools created the advert using a real teacher and class. Yesterday the producers of the ad claimed the scene shown is of the teacher deliberately demonstrating an incorrect answer. She later went on to explain the correct workings and answer, but this was not shown in the short clip, they claim.