Earlier this week, a new report found that underprepared primary school teachers, ineffective teaching methods, and deepening inequities are leaving too many students without the strong foundations they need to succeed in school and life.
The Grattan Institute study found that maths has “taken a backseat in Australian education” due to “procrastination” from governments to rule out “faddish but unproven maths teaching methods”.
To turn the tables, the report’s authors propose a 10-year national strategy focused on evidence-based teaching, stronger teacher training, quality curriculum resources, and clear goals to lift student achievement and restore confidence in maths education.
Of the case study schools the Institute analysed, change often hinged on the initiative of a single passionate staff member and a courageous principal.
Backing brilliance with the right tools
Daniel Petrie, a Senior Associate in the Grattan Institute’s Education Program, said the current landscape shows how heavily progress depends on individual effort rather than systemic support.
“Too often changes relies on out-of-the-box principals and exceptionally dedicated teachers. We need to build systems that make it easier for schools to adopt best practice,” Petrie told The Educator.
“Thankfully, change is in the air – several systems across Australia have committed to explicit teaching. This gives clearer direction to school leaders on the ground.”
However, Petrie notes that guidance is just one step.
“To embed systematic maths teaching, systems need to provide teachers and school leaders with the tools they need to bring it to life in classrooms – high-quality curriculum materials and robust assessments, alongside practical professional learning,” he said. “We know this type of support makes a difference.”
One of the Institute’s case study schools, St Bernard’s Primary School in Bateman’s Bay, has benefited from having significant system support as part of the Catalyst program run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Education, Petrie said.
“They’ve now adopted Ochre curriculum materials for maths, and had system-wide professional development, including instructional coaching.”
Expertise in action, not administration
The report recommends that schools appoint ‘Principal Master Teachers and Master Teachers’ in primary maths, but Petrie said it’s important that schools develop safeguards to ensure these roles retain their instructional focus and don’t get diluted by broader system politics.
“We don't want Master Teachers in name only. It's critical that they have the right expertise and are set up in the right roles,” he said.
“How we develop and select people for these roles matters. Both the Primary Maths Principal Master Teacher and Master Teachers would need to be proven leaders with deep subject matter expertise in primary math.”
These teachers should also be working closely with teachers and school leaders in their region, not “bogged down in bureaucracy”, Petrie noted.
“Drawing on the Singaporean model, we see the Principal Master Teacher as the chief expert for primary maths teaching in their jurisdiction and Master Teachers working with around 150 schools, responsible for improving primary maths instruction,” he said.
“Without a teaching load, Master Teachers would be on the ground in schools, facilitating professional learning and reporting to the Principal Master Teacher. In short, they should be regularly in schools and training teachers, not pushing paper.”
A systematic approach to tackle the achievement gap
Petrie said the Institute’s proposed reforms have the potential to address long-standing equity issues in maths education, especially in remote and low-SES communities.
“While 1 in 3 Australian students are not proficient in maths, disadvantaged students are much less likely to be proficient. Indigenous students and those whose parents did not complete high school are twice as likely to not be proficient in maths. These students need more support,” he said.
“A systematic approach to maths can turn this around, but it relies on schools having a coordinated approach, with an agreed instructional model and sequenced curriculum.”
Petrie noted that it can be harder for disadvantaged schools to put this in place given they often employ more beginning teachers and have higher staff turnover.
“Our new survey results show this. Teachers in disadvantaged schools were less likely to have an agreed approach to effective maths teaching or common lesson plans,” he said.
“That's why stronger implementation support is needed. Maths Hubs, in particular, are designed to combat this.”
Located on-site at an existing school with strong maths practice, the hubs would work intensively with the highest priority schools over a 2-year period, observing practice and providing teachers and school leaders with the know-how and shoulder-to-shoulder support they need to lift maths performance.
“This type of on-the-ground support is what is needed to lift results in our neediest schools.”
A national lens (with local flexibility)
The report proposes an “independent quality assurance body” to give teachers and school leaders greater access to high-quality, comprehensive curriculum materials that are missing from many Australian classrooms.
Petrie says this will improve access to quality curriculum materials, reduce teacher workload, and help schools better tailor instruction to students’ needs using proven, high-quality resources.
“At the moment, teachers are spending a lot of time individually planning and have scant information about the quality of externally developed materials,” he said.
“The research on effective maths teaching is the same for each state and territory. That’s why we’re calling for a single, national body to carry out teacher-led, independent reviews of curriculum materials.”
Petrie said this will provide much needed advice to schools and create incentives for publishers to develop higher quality materials.
“From there, schools and systems can choose which of the highest quality materials will best fit their students,” he said.
“Having existing materials to draw on can actually help teachers better tailor instruction for their students.”
Petrie said this was evident at St Bernard's Primary School, one of the Institute’s case study schools, which has adopted Ochre materials for maths.
“Using these has freed up teachers to focus on how to adapt materials to meet the specific needs of their students.”
Seizing the maths moment
Looking ahead, Petrie is optimistic that Australia can seize the opportunity to lift primary maths achievement.
“The primary school years are a critical time when students are more engaged in their learning, and begin to form self-perceptions as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at maths,” he said.
“We need to capitalise on this opportunity to give every student solid foundations in maths, and catch those who are struggling before they fall behind.”
Petrie said he spends a lot of time talking to teachers who are eager to teach maths effectively, and see their students make great progress.
“But some have been poorly advised by universities and governments,” he said. “That said, we can make best practice common practice if we ensure we give teachers the right guidance and step-up the intensity of support we provide them.”
Petrie said the Institute’s 10-year ‘Maths Guarantee’ strategy sets out a roadmap for how to make meaningful change.
“If we set our sights higher for student learning in maths, give teachers the practical tools and support they need, and ensure we monitor implementation, I think we can move beyond the rhetoric and make a real difference in the lives of students.”