Cooking with mum helps children do their sums
TODDLERS should play with numbers at nursery and spend more time cooking with their parents to improve their maths skills, a Government review said yesterday.
Nearly one in four 11-year-olds leave primary school without reaching the expected standard in numeracy.
At GCSE level, more than half of teenagers fail to get five C grades in subjects including maths and English.
But the Williams Review said every child should leave primary school “without a fear of maths” and should master the basics of the subject by the age of seven.
The report said activities such as cooking at home can help children understand numeracy.
Experts now believe every primary school should have a specialist maths teacher and they called for more mental arithmetic in class.
Sir Peter Williams, Chancellor of Leicester University and author of the review, recommended urgent action to reverse England’s “can’t do attitude” to the subject.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls later accepted Sir Peter’s report in full.
From a young age, children should be playing with shapes and numbers to foster their “natural instincts” in numeracy, the review said.
The suggestion is intended to help make mathematical experiences fun and build children’s confidence in their ability to cope with the subject.
But parents should also play a greater role in helping their children enjoy maths, the report said, as their attitudes have a significant impact on the way children view the subject.
And teachers should work with parents to bring them up to date with the methods used to teach mathematics in schools.
The review suggested that more should be done to teach mental arithmetic to children who struggle with basic maths. But bright pupils who excel also need more stretching class work.
Mr Balls plans to train more than 1,000 specialist maths teachers every year over the next 10 years to make sure every primary school has at least one “champion” in the subject.
He said he would pay specialist maths teachers incentives and rewards to gain masters qualifications in maths.
Ministers will also consider a major training programme for 13,000 existing primary school teachers.
Last year 77 per cent of 11-year-olds in England reached Level 4 – the standard expected of the age group –- in their maths tests at primary school.
The Government’s new goal is for at least 90 per cent of children to achieve the right level for their age group in English and maths by 2020.
