Is the independent sector as strict as state schools when it comes to having GCSE grade “C” in maths? My fiancee has six years’ experience teaching English and media in Further Education. She’d like to work in a secondary school but has to get GCSE maths. Do independent schools fall under the same rules as state schools, or do they have more freedom?

You may be confusing two different issues. To train as a teacher and gain qualified teacher status that is recognised in the maintained school sector you need the basic “C“grades at GCSE. Private schools are free to employ whoever they wish regardless of whether or not they have GCSE grades. Most employ qualified teachers who have the basic standards of English and maths. Your fiancee would find wider career opportunities with qualified teacher status than without, so obtaining the basic mathematics qualification would seem a sensible idea.