Mastery Approach To Teaching Maths To Be Adopted By Half Of All English Primary Schools
Nick Gibb announces that £41 million in funding will be made available to introduce new approach to maths teaching in 8000 primary schools
The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, has unveiled government plans for a major expansion of the ‘mastery’ approach to teaching maths in primary schools across England.
£41 million in funding spread over four years will used to support over 8000 primary schools in adopting the approach, which has hitherto been widely used by schools in Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and other parts of South Asia.
The mastery approach is characterised by teaching children a whole class, and focusing on developing an understanding of of the structure of maths, supplemented with the use of textbooks. It has been used within a number of English schools since 2014, and become more widespread following a England-Shanghai teacher exchange programme.
Following today’s announcement, the hope is that it will be adopted far more widely. The funding will initially go towards training 700 teachers who will go on to support schools in introducing maths mastery (140 have received training already from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) and providing schools with textbooks.
Announcing the move in a speech at an Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) conference, Mr Gibb said, “We are seeing a renaissance in maths teaching in this country, with good ideas from around the world helping to enliven our classrooms.
“The significant expansion of the south Asian maths mastery approach can only add to the positive momentum, with thousands more young people having access to specialist teachers and quality textbooks. I am confident that the steps we are taking now will ensure young people are properly prepared for further study and the 21st century workplace, and that the too-often heard phrase ‘can’t do maths’ is consigned to the past.”
Further support for expanding the approach will come from 35 school-led ‘maths hubs’, dedicated to developing excellence in maths teaching.
Also included in today’s announcement was the news that the government has launched a tender for the national maths education centre, which play a role in the future training of specialist maths teachers.
