Snapshotsmaths

DECEMBER 2014

•Developaclear,sharedvisionformathseducationthroughtheimplementationofalong-termstrategy.

•Ensurethatreformsaretransparentandinvolveawiderangeofsubjectexperts.

•Buildintimeforplanning,pilotingandevaluation.

Mathseducationpolicy

Providingaworldclassmathseducationtoallyoungpeopleisofvitalimportanceforourfuture.Policyreformsshouldbe:

• carefullycoordinatedatallstagesofgeneration,developmentandimplementation

• welldesigned,withadequatetimeforplanning,pilotingandevaluation

• transparentandoverseenbyanauthoritativeandexpertstandingbodywithabroadmandate.

Wherearewenow?

Thereiswidespreadrecognitionoftheimportanceofmathseducation.

•MathseducationinEnglandisundergoingconsiderablechange.

•AnewNationalCurriculumstartedin2014;newGCSEMathscommencesin2015;AS/AlevelMathsandFurtherMathswillbeintroducedin2017;newpost-16‘CoreMaths’qualificationswillberolledoutfrom2015.

•Otherreformsincludechangestoschoolandcollegefundingandthestructureofteachereducation.

•Somereformsarebeingintroducedrapidlyandmaylackcoherence,forexampleGCSEandAlevelMathsreformtimescalesarewidelythoughttohavebeenrushed.

Theeducationlandscapeisshifting.

•TheDepartmentforEducation(DfE)andtheDepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills(BIS),andtheiragenciesareresponsiblefordifferentaspectsoflearningandteaching.

•Duringcurriculumandqualificationreforminrecentyears,governmentagencies,awardingorganisationsandindividualexpertshavebeeninvolvedinreformprocesses.Notallreformprocesseshavebeentransparent.(1)

•Therehasbeenasignificantshiftto‘localautonomy’(2),whichisleadingtoareconfigurationofexpertise,responsibilityandaccountability.‘Localautonomy’issometimesgeographical,asisthecasewiththeMathsHubsformathsprofessionaldevelopment(3),andsometimesvirtual,aswithacademychains.

Year

2014

CurriculumandQualifications

NationalCurriculumCoreMaths(earlyadopters)

2016

2017

2015

GCSEsciences

AlevelMathsandFurtherMaths

GCSEMathsCoreMathsAlevelsciences

Whatarethechallenges?

Thereisamismatchbetweenpoliticaltimescalesandwhatisneededforimprovingmathseducation.

•AtypicalmathseducationinEnglandlastsfrom5-18.

Rapidandextensivepolicychangemakessustained

improvementsineducationverydifficult.

•Coherenteducationreformrequirestimescalesthat

areconsiderablylongerthantheelectoralcyclethat

influencespoliticaltimescales.

•Thereiscurrentlynoongoingsystemofevaluation,

monitoringandrevisionofthecurriculum,ashappen

inmanyothercountries.(4)

Gettingcoherenceinpolicyreformischallenging.

•Processesofpolicyadvisingandinfluencingarealways

changingandhavenotalwaysbeentransparent.(1)

Commercialawardingorganisationshavebeenclosely

involvedinrecentqualificationreform.

•Mathsreformcannotbelookedatinisolation,given

itsconnectionstoothersubjects,includingthe

sciencesandsocialsciences.

•Asmultipleorganisationsareresponsibleforpolicy

advice,enactmentandchange,thereneedstobe

joined-upthinking.Forexamplethe‘CoreMaths’

qualificationrequirescoordinationacrossthe

DepartmentforEducation,DepartmentforBusiness

InnovationandSkills,Ofqual,theNationalCollegefor

TeachingandLeadership,schools,universitiesetc..(5)

(SeeMathsSnapshot:Mathsforallto18.)

•Rapidpolicychangesmayaffectretentionrates

andleadtoalossinspecialistmathsteacher

educationexpertiseatatimewhenmoremaths

teachersareneeded.(SeeMathsSnapshot:

Teachersofmaths.)

Whatneedstohappen?

1.Aclear,sharedvisionformathseducationshouldbedevelopedwithanagreedlong-termstrategytorealisethisvision.

•Ahigh-level,well-articulatedvisionformathseducationprovidesaframeworkforpolicy.Avisionneedsawell-designedstrategythatcanguidecoherentimplementationofreforms.Theprocessofreformtorealisethevisionneedscontinuousmonitoring.(6)

2.Reformsshouldbetransparentandledbyanauthoritativeandexpertbody.

•Anauthoritativeandexpertbodywithalong-termremitshouldbeestablishedwithabroadmandatetoincludereviewingthecurriculumandqualificationsinmaths,advisingonreformanddevelopingavisionformathseducation.

• Awiderangeofsubjectexpertswithexperienceacrossallphasesofeducationneedstobeinvolvedinthisstandingbody;theirselectionandinvolvementshouldbetransparent.

3.Reformsneedtobewelldesignedtoincludetimeforplanning,pilotingandevaluation.

•Changesshouldbeinformedbyrelevantevidence,incorporatepilotingwhereappropriate,andberobustlyevaluated.

•Fullreviewsofcurriculumandqualificationsshouldbeundertakeninfrequently,perhapsevery10yearsasisthecaseinhigh-performingjurisdictions.(4)Thiswouldpromotestabilityforteachersandlearners,andreducenegativeeffectsofconstantchange.(SeeMathsSnapshot:Mathscurriculum.)

1.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06798/national-curriculum-review

2.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175429/CM-7980.pdf

3.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288817/DRAFT_Maths_hubs_guidance_doc_v10.pdf

4.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184064/DFE-RR178.pdf

5.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-maths-qualifications-technical-guidance

6.https://royalsociety.org/~/media/education/policy/vision/reports/vision-full-report-20140625.pdf

Forfurtherinformationaboutthe

AdvisoryCommitteeonMathematicsEducation:

Tel:+44(0)2074512588email:acme@royalsociety.org

www.acme-uk.org @ACMEmaths