This project aims to support the teachers of those students in Year 7 who require additional support to secure the foundations of understanding in maths necessary to make good progress in KS3 and beyond. National data indicates that, since Covid, there has been an increase in the number of students not meeting Age Related Expectations (ARE) by the end of KS2, and that the gaps in knowledge for some in Year 7 are wider and deeper than in previous years; this is supported by evidence from a recent NCETM teacher survey. Year 7 teachers are also reporting that they feel insufficiently equipped to teach these students mathematical content from much earlier in the curriculum.

The Ofsted maths report published in 2023 reported findings which indicate that students for whom learning maths is more challenging fail to grasp early concepts, which increasingly hampers their progress through the curriculum. By KS3, these students are unable to understand, let alone apply, new knowledge. This, coupled with a lack of opportunity to reason mathematically or solve problems, results in some students in Year 7 being unable to access the KS3 curriculum, and hence they require substantial remediation to enable them to make progress.

This project aims to provide professional development and resources for secondary school maths teachers, so they are better equipped with KS1 and KS2 maths curriculum domain-specific knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, so they have the necessary expertise to support students with gaps in understanding content from previous Key Stages.

Teachers will explore foundational concepts and consider effective pedagogy so that their students develop a secure, deep and connected understanding of the maths they are learning. Teachers will need to have organisational and curriculum flexibility so they can offer their students content which appropriately meets their needs and builds on what they currently understand. Students should enjoy maths and experience success through understanding the maths they are working on.

Participants in this project will gain access to high quality resources designed by experts in the pedagogy and expectations of maths at KS2 and KS3. They will be supported to develop their pedagogical content knowledge; specifically, how to effectively teach students who will have experienced, but not learned the curriculum content previously encountered. Participants will also become part of a community of practitioners who are focused on improving students’ attainment outcomes by sharing best practice. This professional development opportunity is intended to support participants to develop the specialist KS1 and KS2 expertise to support students who need it most.

Who is it for?

The intended participants for this project are teachers working with those Year 7 students who have not met age related expectations in maths, particularly students whose attainment is in the bottom 20-30% of the national cohort at the end of KS2. The project is suitable for experienced or novice teachers who are interested in developing their teaching practice to support students in securing the foundations of mathematical understanding.

Participants should engage with the supporting video material, attend six central online events, and attend regional (face-to-face or online) cohort events, equivalent to three days. They will also engage with the online community.

The centrally produced resources are designed to support teachers and focus on the foundations of mathematical understanding. Each set of resources has a different focus, adapting the most relevant parts of the support available for KS2 teachers so that they build on students’ prior knowledge and prepare them for their study in KS3. The resources will comprise both classroom-facing slides and teacher guidance. Participants who actively engage with the teacher guidance and supporting materials will benefit most. Teachers are encouraged to generalise the pedagogical strategies they explore as part of this project, and embed them in their practice more widely, to meet the needs of all students.

What are the intended outcomes?

Student outcomes

Students will:

• develop a deep and connected understanding of the maths they are learning
• reason, think and communicate mathematically as part of their normal experience in maths lessons
• make progress such that they are better able to access a suitable KS3 curriculum
• develop confidence with, and a positive attitude to, maths.

Whole school/departmental policies and approaches

Participants will work with their school/subject leaders to:

• ensure that relevant teachers and support staff engage with the materials
• ensure flexibility in the KS3 scheme of work so that suitable adaptations can be made to ensure accessibility and progress for all students.

Practice development

Participants will:

• develop their pedagogic and content knowledge of KS1 and KS2 maths, with a particular emphasis on key concepts
• practise strategies and refine their practice to best support students who did not meet age-related expectations (ARE) at the end of KS2
• consider approaches which support all students to reason mathematically and develop a deep and connected understanding of the maths they are learning.

Professional learning

Participants will:

• work as part of a professional learning community to reflect on their approaches, deepen their understanding about effective approaches, and refine their practice
• develop an understanding of pedagogic approaches consistent with teaching for mastery
• develop an understanding of the KS1 and KS2 curriculum content
• share their knowledge and understanding with appropriate members of their department. 

What is the cost?

Funded by DfE so participation is free for schools