Blair unveils new maths formula
By Liz Lightfoot, Education Correspondent
A NATIONAL textbook prescribing the format and content of the new
primary school maths lessons was published by the Prime Minister and
David Blunkett, the Education Secretary yesterday.
The 117-page National Numeracy Strategy being sent to schools is an
attempt to meet the Government's pledge to drive failed methods from the
classroom.
It insists that whole-class teaching, tables and mental arithmetic drills
will
form a major part of the "back-to-basics" teaching that will begin in
September this year. Calculators should not "normally" be used with children
below the age of eight, it says.
Teachers are being given sums to do with their children and even being
told
how to organise the furniture in their classrooms for the daily lessons
of 50
minutes to an hour for children of eight and above and 45 minutes for
younger ones.
Children should sit at desks facing the front, ideally in a U-shape so
they can
also see each other, instead of round tables or on a carpet, says the strategy.
Anticipating protests that maths lessons would be organised differently
to the
rest, it points out that children are "quite capable" of moving tables
and
chairs.
If any of the 14,000 primary and infant schools in England want to depart
substantially from the prescribed teaching methods, they will have to
convince school inspectors that their way is better.
Mr Blair underlined the background to the introduction of the numeracy
lessons, which follow the literacy hour introduced last September.
He said it was "frankly scandalous" that four in ten 11-year-olds at present
are not up to the basic numeracy standard expected of their age.
His Government had set a target of 75 per cent of 11-year-olds reaching
the
expected standard, up from 59 per cent last year. "The urgent priority
is to
improve the teaching of maths in our schools, particularly primary schools,
which lay the foundations for success or failure," he said.
"But we must also forge a new status for maths within society as a whole
- to
make numeracy more accessible, even fun.
"As a country, I think you will agree that we have devalued and undervalued
mathematics for too long."
Mr Blair was speaking at a conference in London to announce the strategy
and the run-up to Maths Year 2000. He shared a platform with Carol
Vorderman, the television presenter and mental arithmetic expert, who said
people wrongly thought you had to be uniquely talented to be competent
at
maths.
"Practice is the key," she said, adding that Britain could learn from the
attitude in the Indian community.
The Government is providing 315 local numeracy consultants to train and
support schools, training for teachers next term and 500 family numeracy
courses for around 3,000 parents and children.