Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T04:20:31.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mathematical Attainments in Primary Schooling: Raising Standards and Reducing Diversity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2020

Julia Whitburn
Julia Whitburn*
Affiliation:
National Institute of Economic and Social Research
*
e-mail [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Concern over poor standards in mathematics among English school leavers has led to a number of government initiatives in recent years. Without a secure foundation of mathematical understanding and competence during the primary school years, later learning in mathematics is problematic. This paper examines recent major initiatives at the primary stage of schooling and their effect on raising standards, including the National Numeracy Strategy and the Improving Primary Mathematics (IPM) project. The latter project, influenced by successful Continental approaches to teaching mathematics, aimed both to raise average standards of attainment and to reduce the large variation in attainment that has, in the past, characterised the performance of English pupils.

Although the new teaching approaches, and the innovatively detailed teaching materials, developed by the IPM project have enabled significant improvements to be effected, concern remains over the low attainment in England of an unduly large proportion of pupils (as compared with Continental schools). It is suggested that serious consideration needs to be given to adopting arrangements that are the norm in several other countries — namely, to introduce some flexibility in age of entry to schooling (at present in England this is governed strictly by date of birth). Such a change would, it is suggested, significantly reduce the number of low attainers and range of attainment within a class, and make a teacher's task of successful interactive whole-class teaching more manageable.

Type
Research Article
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 179 , January 2002 , pp. 64 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, R. (2000), Culture and Pedagogy, Oxford, Blackwell.Google Scholar
Beaton, A. E., Mullis, I.V.S., Martin, M.O., Gonzalez, E.J., Kelly, D.L. and Smith, T.A. (1996), Mathematics Achievement in the Middle School Years: IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Chestnut Hill, TIMSS International Study Center.Google Scholar
Bierhoff, H. (1996), Laying the Foundations of Numeracy, London, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.Google Scholar
Cockroft, W.H. (1982), Mathematics counts: Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of Mathematics in Schools, London, HMSO.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) 1998), Autumn Package, London, DfEE.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) (1999a), The National Numeracy Strategy, London, DfEE.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) (1999b), Statistics of Education, London, DfEE.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) (2000), Autumn Package, London, DfEE.Google Scholar
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (2001), First Release; National Assessments of 7,11 and 14 year olds (Provisional),London, DfES.Google Scholar
Henry, J. (2001a), ‘Short route to plug gaps’, Times Educational Supplement, 17 August, p.6.Google Scholar
Henry, J. (2001b), ‘Teachers may decide when to test pupils’, Times Educational Supplement,7 September, p.1.Google Scholar
McNamara, D.R. and Waugh, D.G. (1993), ‘Classroom Organisation: a discussion of grouping strategies in the light of the “Three Wise Men's” report’, School Organisation, 13 (1), pp. 41–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monbusho (2000), Education in Japan 2000, Tokyo, Monbusho.Google Scholar
Mullis, I.V.S., Martin, M.O., Beaton, A.E., Gonzalez, E.J., Kelly, D.L. and Smith, T.A. (1997), Mathematics Achievement in the Primary School Years: IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Chestnut Hill, TIMSS International Study Center.Google Scholar
Nagy, J. (1989), Articulation of Pre-school with Primary School in Hungary: An Alternative Entry Model, Hamburg, UNESCO Institute for Education.Google Scholar
Office for Standards in Education (2000a), Strategies to Promote Educational Inclusion: Improving City Schools, London, Ofsted.Google Scholar
Office for Standards in Education (2000b), Raising the Attainment of Minority Ethnic Pupils, London, Ofsted.Google Scholar
Prais, S.J. (1981), ‘Vocational qualifications of the labour force in Britain and Germany’, National Institute Economic Review, 98, November.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prais, S.J. (1987), ‘Educating for productivity: Comparisons of Japanese and English schooling and vocational preparation’, National Institute Economic Review, 99, February.Google Scholar
Prais, S.J. (1997), ‘Whole-class Teaching, School-readiness and Pupils’ Mathematical Attainments’, Oxford Review of Education, 23, 3, pp. 275–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, W.P., Tayler, C.S. and Piolet, M. (1992), ‘Redoublement in relation to self-perception and self-evaluation: France’, Research in Education, 47, pp. 64–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharp, C. and Benefeld, P. (1995), Research into Season of Birth and School Achievement: A Select Annotated Bibliography, Slough, National Foundation for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Sharp, C., Hutchison, D. and Whetton, C. (1994), ‘How do season of birth and length of schooling affect children's attainment at key stage 1?’, Educational Research, 36, 2, pp. 107–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar