Maths Horizons – unpicking what it means for Primary Maths with Helen Drury

Will Power, Head of Subject Primary Maths at Ark Curriculum Plus, shares his insights

This month the Maths Horizons Project co-led by Dr Helen Drury published its interim findings. As one of the foremost experts in maths education I was delighted to speak to Helen about all things maths and to hear her views on likely curriculum changes and her work with the Maths Horizons project. I wanted to know if there were any emerging trends and what the wider sector, especially schools, might want to start thinking about to get themselves ready for curriculum change.

The Horizons report throws up many interesting findings, some expected, some less so. Crucially, the report draws on extensive conversations, surveys and submissions from 10,000+ school leaders, teachers and pupils.

It was no surprise to find that:

• Teachers thought there was too much content in the primary maths curriculum and that this had an impact on being able to teach it well;
• Pupils did not have sufficient time to develop fluency in core knowledge and in particular, number facts, and this was perceived to impact on their ability to tackle more complex maths;
• Transition to secondary saw a significant dip in pupil enjoyment of maths (though maths was still enjoyed by 50% of secondary pupils, and was well-enjoyed in comparison with other subjects).

These findings align with similar recent research and there is a feeling that the Curriculum and Assessment Review presents an opportunity to address content overload and focus more clearly on the teaching of core knowledge and skills. As Helen said, “Some facts are just worth investing time in knowing.”

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Phonics for maths

What facts are worth knowing? I asked Helen about this and if lessons could be learned from the way phonics is taught, with an obvious equivalence between number facts as small-unit knowledge and GPCs (‘grapheme-phoneme correspondences’). The phonics for maths idea has been widely trailed following the inclusion of this phrase in some of the Labour Party’s pre-election messaging and it is a reasonable bet that elements of this idea will end up in the final Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations.

Helen is clear that this crucial stage of early maths learning should also include exposure to a rich diet of visual and concrete scaffolds, as well as related foundational skill development in areas such as spatial reasoning. As in the best performing schools where reading is not reduced just to teaching phonics, early maths should not be narrowed to the teaching of number facts.

In the schools I visit, fluency is probably the most common ‘need’. It is easy to diagnose when you see pupils in upper year groups finger-counting basic calculations for example. Guidance on how to develop a consistent fluency offer through the new curriculum would certainly help address gaps in fluency.

I was interested in Helen’s thoughts on the pros and cons of using low-stakes screening tools to assess and plug gaps to support the teaching of early maths and number facts, again, with parallels to the way phonics is taught and assessed.

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Fluency and perceptions of the MTC

For parents, times tables are an accessible and relatable part of the curriculum, in contrast with other topics that are harder or taught in unfamiliar ways. Many aspects of mastery teaching fall into this category, bar models for example.

Fluency in multiplication facts reduces cognitive load when pupils are faced with more advanced problems and this ‘opens up’ the rest of the maths curriculum, particularly in Year 5 and Year 6, where increased emphasis is placed on efficient arithmetic skills.

Could formalising the teaching of number facts and related additive reasoning skills in Key Stage 1 help to raise the profile of number fact fluency and even encourage increased parental buy-in and practice at home?

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Curriculum intent

The Maths Horizons interim report uncovered the extent to which teachers think their pupils achieve the stated aims of the current (2014) National Curriculum:

• Have a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about maths;
• Are able to reason mathematically;
• Can think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems;
• Persevere in seeking solutions; and
• Appreciate the beauty and power of maths.

In each case, less than half of teachers said that they thought their pupils achieved these aims. I asked Helen why there was a such a disjuncture between what the National Curriculum sets out to do and teachers’ perception of what was happening on the ground. At first glance, this list of aims seems reasonable – what of these wouldn’t you want? But there is still a lack of consensus, for example, on what exactly ‘beauty in maths’ means and whether that’s really what’s important or even if a concept like this could be counter-productive.

For Helen, curiosity and fostering an ability to solve problems in unfamiliar contexts are just as important, if not more so: “We should urge pupils to be pattern seekers, ask questions and encourage intrigue”.

Perhaps this lack of consensus about the curriculum intent, misinterpretation and in some cases short term bias (in favour of exam preparation for example) has watered down the impact of the 2014 curriculum aims.

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What next

The work that Maths Horizons is doing is wide-ranging. I encourage you to read the full interim report here and continue to add to the ongoing investigations by contributing your insights. The Horizons Project is only partway through its work.

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Things to think about now in your school

• Take some time to chat to your maths lead and do an audit of your school’s fluency provision. This could be as basic as popping into a Year 2 class and asking them some straightforward single digit calculations to 20 or seeing the different ways pupils mentally calculate a question like 7+8 (a near double).
• Ensure that your offer in Lower Key Stage 2 supports good multiplicative reasoning and there are daily opportunities to practise times tables. What does this look like? Is it just rote learning or does teaching explore patterns, expose structures and use visual and concrete representations to support conceptual understanding?
• Consider how your curriculum intent aligns with the needs of your pupils and how much the language used to talk about maths supports this. Pupils can be pattern-spotters, codebreakers and problem-solvers as well as mathematicians!

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Answering your questions

We want to do all that we can to reassure and support schools who may be wondering what the Curriculum and Assessment Review might mean for them. We will be publishing a short guide, looking at some key areas with possible changes and what you can do to be ready.

In the summer term we will be hosting a live event with Helen and a select group of panellists, including others from Maths Horizons, to give you the opportunity to ask questions about the report or the curriculum review more broadly. Already got questions? Submit them here: https://forms.office.com/e/aphBTCCM87

We look forward to hearing from you!

Author: Will Power

Maths Horizons

Helen Drury