Leading staff development in primary mathematics

published:  March 2006

In this TLA research summary we feature some of the findings from a major five-year study into the teaching and learning of mathematics in British primary schools.

The work is derived from the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme, a six-strand study which began in 1997 to investigate primary school mathematics teaching at a time of national and international concern about standards of children’s achievement in the subject. It coincided with the introduction, in England and Wales, of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) in 1999/2000 and therefore offered a unique perspective on what it was like for teachers on the ground as they began to implement the new requirements.

The first volume in a set of four is:

Millet, A., M. Brown and M. Askew (eds). Primary Mathematics and the developing professional. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2004.

The book focuses on the professional development of teachers in mathematics and includes insights into the successes and challenges for effective practice encountered by primary mathematics co-ordinators and school leaders in a variety of primary settings.
Most primary practitioners are full-time class teachers with a particular subject responsibility.

This summary will be of interest to primary teachers in their roles as subject co-ordinators, a role that has gone through marked changes over the past decade, from that of supportive colleague to that of recognised 'expert’, responsible for monitoring the standard of teaching and learning in their subject. It offers insights into more (and less) effective ways of supporting the professional development of colleagues.

It will also be of interest to school leaders, as it clarifies the nature of support that subject co-ordinators need from their head teacher in order to pursue their roles effectively. The summary also includes insights into effective aspects of practice in the teaching of primary mathematics in both the main text and the case studies.