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Press release: Helping teachers make it all add up on World Maths Day

World Maths Day (today) sees the launch of two new booklets to help teachers improve pupils’ understanding of mathematics and give them confidence in using the subject in everyday life. They are published by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

The booklets, Mathematics: understanding the score – Improving practice in mathematics, aim to improve teaching of the subject by shifting it away from a narrow emphasis on skills towards a focus on improving pupils’ understanding of mathematics and its application.

Ofsted hopes the booklets, which are intended for professional development use by classroom teachers as well as subject leaders, will improve teaching and learning in mathematics. Using examples of good teaching and weaker practice, they illustrate through practical examples how teachers can make teaching more engaging and develop pupils’ skills whatever their ability.

Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector said: 'Mathematics has so much relevance to our everyday lives. We need to equip children to use it with confidence in and beyond the classroom. I hope these booklets will help teachers to ensure that every child gets the best possible mathematics teaching.'

The booklets were developed from an Ofsted mathematics report published last September, also called Mathematics: understanding the score. This report revealed that teaching was good in around half of schools and in the best schools it was much more than routine learning of methods, rules and facts. However many schools, particularly at secondary level, were less effective at developing the required understanding to apply mathematics to new situations, solve problems and communicate solutions.

The report also showed that effective mathematics teaching is characterised by good subject knowledge and understanding of the ways in which pupils learn mathematics. It highlights the main areas for improvement - the subject knowledge of primary and non-specialist teachers, the pedagogical skills of secondary teachers, and the recruitment of suitably qualified staff, particularly subject leaders. The booklets are designed to help to bring about this required improvement.

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Notes For Editors

1. The booklets, Mathematics: understanding the score – Improving practice in mathematics teaching, can be found on the Ofsted website: primary - www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080283; secondary -www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080284.

2. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects registered childcare and children's social care, including adoption and fostering agencies, residential schools, family centres and homes for children. It also inspects all state maintained schools, non-association independent schools, pupil referral units, further education, initial teacher education, and publicly funded adult skills and employment based training, the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service (Cafcass), and the overall level of services for children in local authority areas.

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