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Press Release

Date: 6 January 2014

Contact: Rebecca Hanson,

07752 407153

New Primary Mathematics curriculum ‘will seriously damage’ children’s learning of mathematics

Children’s learning of mathematics will be seriously damaged by the new Primary National Curriculum for Mathematics (PNCM) and Department for Education claims that it is based on a successful model used in Singapore are entirely false, according to analysis from education consultant Rebecca Hanson.

In a report made publicly available today (6 January 2014), Fundamental Problems with the 2014 Primary National Curriculum for Mathematics, Hanson calls for the immediate suspension of the implementation of the new primary mathematics curriculum on the grounds that it is not fit for purpose and will seriously damage children’s mental development.

Comparing the PNCM with the Singapore curriculum, the report concludes the PNCM fails to reflect Singapore’s curriculum in all key areas of arithmetic: -

  • Addition and subtraction: the new PNCMwill require children aged 6-7 to manipulate numbers without having mastered the proper foundation for doing so – the Singapore curriculum tackles the same tasks a full two years later.
  • Multiplication: the Singapore curriculum excludes the use of multiplication tables at age 6-7. The new PNCM puts them centre stage.
  • Division: In Singapore, the use of tables and the division symbol are specifically excluded. Again, the PNCM relies on them.

Hanson commented: ‘The new curriculum has no rationale and no precedent. It is unique in demanding that substantial quantities of abstract mathematics be taught to 6-year-olds, something which all other curricula protect against as the damage doing so causes to the mental development of some children is well understood.’

‘Without proper time spent on mastering the foundation skills needed to apply the Singapore curriculum’s approach, children will struggle and fail under the new mathematics curriculum.’

‘Its implementation needs to be immediately suspended.’

Fundamental Problems with the 2014 Primary National Curriculum for Mathematicscan be downloaded here:

Editor’s notes:

  • Rebecca Hanson MA(Cantab.) MEd, is a lecturer in mathematics education and a primary mathematics adviser. She is also an FRSA Digital Champion who specialises in developing high quality free speech in discussion forums. She manages an international discussion forum on mathematics education with over 17,000 members and has written the reports referred to in this press release with the free help of members of this forum.
  • On 11 September 2013 the Secretary of State for Education published the new national curriculum framework. Schools are being advised to start teaching this curriculum to students in years 3 and 4 immediately as these students will be assessed on its content when they are in year 6.
  • The Challenges Of Implementing The New Primary National Curriculum is an earlier report by Rebecca Hanson which focused in particular on the abstract mathematics to be taught to 6-year-olds. It raised the question of whether there was any precedent in international curricula for our new curriculum let alone precedents from high achieving nationals as has been claimed by way of its rationale.
  • Following the writing of this first report Rebecca corresponded with the key people with responsibility for the new curriculum who claimed that the precedent came from the Singapore curriculum. The new report concludes that this claim has no credibility.

ENDS