Simple Progression for your Maths Curriculum
Where is the detail?
What am I supposed to teach?
Big Maths sequences, and simplifies the primary maths learning journey into small simple steps. We link the broader curriculum statements to steps in our detailed framework of progression allowing us to support your planning and teaching. To read more about how Big Maths works,
Big Maths and the National Curriculum in England
In England, the National Curriculum for Mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics. In spite of this, the maths mastery agenda has resulted in an erosion of standards in fluency and mental maths in many schools due to the most common mastery approaches neglecting Basic Skills for weeks and months at a time.
Historically children who are below age-related-expectations (which are themselves best described as guesses) for attainment have not received critical attention despite being obvious potential casualties of social injustices in the curriculum. Many teachers and experts question whether ‘mastery’ is simply not suited to English schools, particularly as it encourages moving on to ‘more challenging content’ once children (plural) have ‘mastered’ a concept. It is accepted that as we learn, we also forget… if we don’t use it, we lose it. Whether children find maths hard (or not) depends on multiple factors but how maths is taught is crucial.
Primary education should liberate rather than ‘control’ or ‘perceive to control’ professional practice; currently there is not enough evidence that the teaching of mastery allows professionals to exercise levels of autonomy, and therefore it could be argued that the teaching of mastery could actually act as a possible barrier to learning instead of assisting it.
Mastery mathematics: Pedagogically powerful or massively misunderstood?
By Annu Pabla, a senior lecturer and mathematics leader for primary initial teacher education (ITE) at the University of Derby
Big Maths and Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland
In Scotland, the Curriculum for Excellence Benchmarks are arguably more problematic for teachers. National emphasis on Scottish National Standardised Assessments in P1, P4 and P7 focus on the end points. Nationally in P4 Numeracy, there is a “dip” which has been identified as far back as 2016/2017. Nationally this is argued by Jenny Gilruth, Education Secretary as being due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy Report (Scottish Government) found this dip in numeracy as far back as 2016.
We are now 13 years on from the introduction of CfE and 8 years since the identified “dip” and there is arguably still no clear expectation of where children should through levels in P2, P3, P5 or P6. Big Maths supports progression at every stage of Curriculum for Excellence: national levels in P1, P4, P7 and through levels in P2, P3, P5 and P6. The detailed progression and support for planning that we provide in Big Maths is essential for Scottish Schools as it identifies key trends and specific learning gaps for specific learners and cohorts of children at national levels and through Curriculum for Excellence levels. This methodology supports school improvement planning for Senior Leaders and helps Class Teachers use data to make improvements each week, supporting teacher and learner confidence in meeting national Benchmarks.
Big Maths and Curriculum for Wales
Curriculum for Wales, implemented in 2022, was informed by Professor Donaldson and is partly modelled on the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. In Successful Futures, his review for the Welsh Government, Professor Donaldson recommended that the new curriculum should have clear purposes. Like Scotland and Northern Ireland, the new Curriculum for Wales is a skills-based curricula, with a focus on the development of skills and competencies, at the heart of which are Four Key Purposes.
The trouble is that defining the curriculum in terms of general skills might not actually be a good way to develop those skills in the first place.
Major challenges for education in Wales
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) – March 2024
Like Scotland’s CfE, CfW makes the detailed progression and support for planning that we provide in Big Maths is essential for Welsh Schools. In May 2024 the Welsh Government published New schemes to raise maths standards in which the focus is very much post primary. We continue to work with Welsh schools and teachers to provide as much support as we can.
What if my curriculum changes?
Typically, maths schemes are designed to tick the boxes of government curriculum statements to make profit. Consequently, they produce content and ‘progression rules’ based on the statements to ‘help’ teachers understand how to get children to the Age Related Expectations of the curriculum. However, most are fundamentally flawed because they depend on chronological age, which is best described as blind allegiance.
Big Maths is different, we work from each child’s reality! When you know what a child knows, you know what to teach them next. To do this, we signpost the position of the national curriculum statement within the natural steps of maths to give a clear, stable progression that doesn’t change when government policy changes.
Even if your curriculum changes, the Big Maths pedagogy, and framework will not change! As we did for Wales in 2021, we will do the work for you, signposting the new statements/expectations, adjusting our tools, and updating resources. You should not anticipate a personal impact if you are using Big Maths!
Relax! We’ve got your back!
