Huge investment in maths teaching

Released 02/03/2010

Government announces £11.8m investment for specialist training

A huge investment in maths teaching will see 1,500 more primary teachers receive training to become mathematics specialists, Schools Minister Diana Johnson announced today.

Johnson announced the £11.8m investment at the annual conference of the Advisory Committee for Mathematics Education (ACME).

The new primary maths champions would join the ranks of over 1,600 primary teachers who have already begun their two year Masters level course to become expert maths teachers.

She said specialist teachers would transform the way the subject is taught in primary schools and help our pupils become among the best at maths in the world, while creating an even more skilled teaching workforce.

Maths specialist teachers will also:

- Improve teachers' knowledge and skills in teaching maths - making them more confident in the classroom
- Improve pupil confidence, enjoyment and achievement in maths
- Help spread expertise in their own school, so that every teacher can improve their maths skills - creating hubs of maths excellence up and down the country
- Create a local network of maths specialist teachers, who work together to improve maths teaching across the local area.

This investment backs up the Government's commitment that by 2019, every primary school should have access to a maths specialist teacher, as recommended in the Williams Mathematics Review.

Johnson said: "There has never been a more important time to plough our efforts into making our children the best in the world at maths, with the number of jobs related to science, maths and technology growing.

"This is why we're overhauling the primary curriculum to make literacy, numeracy and ICT the backbone of every lesson, and why we're investing £468m so pupils falling behind in class receive dedicated one to one tuition.

"This all adds up. In 2009, around 100,000 more children left primary school secure in the basics than in 1997, and we've jumped from 17th to 7th in the international league tables for maths since the mid-nineties.

"But there's no room for complacency. Skilling up our primary teachers to become maths experts will help get pupils excited about maths, and also inspire them to stay learning for longer. This programme will also help raise the bar on maths attainment and make sure our teachers become even more professional and remain highly respected, both at home and overseas."

The Maths Specialist Teacher (MaST) programme is a national two year Masters level course, and the first cohort of teachers began the programme in January this year.

The first wave of applications for this programme received a positive response from primary teachers. National Strategies advisors and Higher Education Institutions are also reporting waiting lists in several local authorities, with teachers keen to get started on the programme.

The pilot has been a success, with many teachers reporting that the programme has helped them improve their subject knowledge and teaching methods, as well as improving their maths confidence and becoming better at sharing knowledge with other teachers.

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