Traditional maths teaching `a success'

TRADITIONAL TEACHING methods in maths being promoted by the Government are already raising standards, ministers will say today. David Blunkett, Secretary of State for Education, will announce a pounds 55m campaign to ensure all pupils know their times tables and brush up their mental arithmetic as part of a daily numeracy hour.

The money, which would enable all schools to offer the daily hour from September as part of the national numeracy strategy, would help to end 30 years of poor maths teaching. Mr Blunkett is publishing reports showing the strategy is already improving primary-school maths. Figures from the National Foundation for Educational Research indicate that 11-year-olds in schools piloting the strategy are 12 to 16 months ahead of equivalent pupils two years go.

The start of the drive appears to have been more successful than the first stages of the national literacy strategy, which began nationally last September.

Reports on literacy published before Christmas showed many teachers had failed to grasp the recommended methods of teaching reading, through phonics. Boys continued to lag behind girls and working-class pupils and those from some ethnic minorities made less progress than others.

But today's figures say the numeracy methods are ensuring boys do as well as girls, pupils with special educational needs are making good progress and those from ethnic minorities are doing better. There has been a marked improvement in pupils' mental arithmetic.

Mr Blunkett said: "For perhaps 30 years we have not focused on what we know works. The new daily maths lesson will ensure children know their tables, can do basic sums in their heads and are taught effectively in whole-class settings."

The methods outlined in the strategy are not compulsory but schools that refuse to use them will be criticised if they fail to raise standards.

Ministers have set a target for 75 per cent of 11-year-olds to reach the expected standard in maths by 2002. The pounds 55m package for 1999-2000 includes pounds 50m for local education authorities to help train teachers as well as money for maths summer schools and family numeracy projects.

A further pounds 18m will go to maths revision classes, after school, at weekends and in the Easter holidays to prepare 11-year-olds for the transfer to secondary school.

Nearly 800 out of 20,000 primary schools are using the methods recommended by the strategy, which is based on the previous government's National Numeracy Project.

Teachers are worried that the new strategy is too prescriptive. Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Teachers will appreciate the advice and guidance but they must not be dictated to and should be free to use their own professional judgement. Rote learning of multiplication tables doesn't mean that you understand maths."

Inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education, who surveyed 211 schools, say progress towards the 2002 targets "will be neither even nor straightforward", because of year-by-year fluctuations in performance, writes Ben Russell. In a report to be published today they say they are pleased with the progress, given that most schools in the pilot were in deprived areas and had low scores in previous national curriculum tests. "The project has improved many aspects of the way teachers plan, organise and carry out teaching of mathematics. In these respects it has shown a significant success.

"It has brought substantial improvement in some weak schools. A much greater degree of support and intervention will be required, however, in the small but significant minority of schools where deep-seated weaknesses in leadership, management and the quality of teaching combine to reduce the impact of the project."