Welcome to theNAMA July 2013 e-newsletter
Thanks to the NAMA Executive for their help with writing the newsletter. If you would like to join the writing team or to contribute an occasional item, particularly news of your work or local events, please contact me at:
Charlotte Madine
Keep up to speed on Twitter NAMA_UK or LinkedIn NAMA UK
NEWS headlines
NAMA NEWS
Extraordinary General Meeting - The vote on the three amendments to the Constitution:
Votes for: 27, votes against: 0 and no abstentions.
All amendments carriedunanimously, with the proviso that the exact wording will be subject to a vote at Conference 2014. Thank you to those using postal voting.
Treasurer
We are urgently seeking someone to join the new Inner Circle to support the work of NAMA as shadow treasurer - duties are not expected to be onerous. Please contact any member of the Executive Committee or for further information, or to volunteer, or to recommend a colleague.
Website
Watch this space!
Over the summer break the current website will disappear and a new one appear, with a host of new features to explore. Visit during August to see the changes, and check your emails/twitter/LinkedIn for news of the full launch.
NAMA Conference evaluation
Four months on from the 2013 Aston Conference, we would be really keen to hear from you about how any ‘messages’ and/or the content of specific sessions have been of use to you in your current roleand have informed your practice.
National curriculum formal consultation
The DfE opened the final consultation for the draft National Curriculum onJuly 8th 2013.It will close on August 8th 2013. A further consultation on the programmes of study for key stage 4 English, mathematics and science will follow in the autumn, once the GCSE content for those subjects is finalised.The national curriculum for year 3 and year 4 and all Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils have been disapplied from September 2013.
Consultation on Primary Assessment and Accountability
Department for Education's Assessment Teamlaunched their consultation on primary assessment and accountability on 17th July 2013and welcomes your input to the consultation. The consultation will run until 11 October 2013.
Michael Gove speech at the National College for Teaching and Leadership
The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove has given a speech at the National College for Teaching and Leadership outlining his belief of and plans for greater teacher autonomy.
Post-16 Updates
Maths for all not yet holding GCSE C Core Maths is a new post-16 qualification for the gap between C grade GCSE and AS to start Sep 2015 (at latest).
There are concerns at the DfE around the flexibility of applications papers and the potential dip in take-up of mathematics A Level. The changes for 2015 are likely to be minimal and will be reviewed for 2016.Liz Truss letter to HoDoMS [Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences].
NCETM
New dates have been confirmed for this autumn for the NCETM Professional Development Lead Support Programme (PDLSP), free face-to-face events for Primary CPD leads. NewNational Curriculum Essentials Page with resources and dates for the Autumn CPD network meetings.
Ofsted report: Unseen children: access and achievement 20 years on
Too many of England's poorest children continue to be let down by the education system. Speech given by Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, at Church House, Westminster, on 20 June 2013.
Ofsted: too many of our brightest children are being let down in the state system
Too many of the most able children and young people are underperforming in our non-selective state secondary schools, a new report by Ofsted reveals June 13 2013.
National STEM e-library mathematics resources
Misconceptions: There are many misconceptions in the understanding of mathematics which ultimately give rise to errors. Resources addressing eight of the most commonly found are included in this collection.
Topical Applications of Mathematics:
The Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching provides these resources, developed to emphasise the practical nature of mathematics and its application to real life situations.
NFER: Evaluation of the Maths Specialist Teacher Programme, June 2013
Final report of the 3 year evaluation of the MaST Programme draws on survey findings from Cohort 1 and 2 MaSTs, head teachers and their pupils, set against a group of teachers and pupils in comparison schools.
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
The 2012 data collection focussed on mathematics and included an optional computer-based assessment of mathematics and reading involving some 30 countries as well as an optional area of assessment Results of the 2012 data collection will be published on 3 December 2013.
The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) ACME has just launched its Outer Circle Open Call.Applications are welcome from teachers and other educationalists, mathematicians, individuals from further and higher education and business and industry.
News from overseas
Zambia has developed a new curriculum for schools.
Fiji is now integrated money management into their curriculum.
In the USA, there has been a survey of the algebra and geometry content in text books.
Forthcoming CPD Events:
Association of Mathematics education Tutors (AMET) Annual Conference 2nd and 3rd September 2013 - Campanile Hotel, Aston, Birmingham.
British Conference on Mathematics Education (BCME) 14th to 16th April 2014 University of Nottingham.
NAMA CPD London event 5th October 2013 (9.15am to 1.15pm) - London Knowledge Lab.
NAMA CPD North event 23rd November 2013 - Manchester Conference Centre(Days Hotel) M1 3BB Manchester Conference Centre (Days Hotel) M1 3BB 09.15 – 13.15
NAMA Annual Conference: Mathematics Everywhere 6th-8th March 2014 – Aston University, Birmingham
NEWS in more detail:
NAMA NEWS
Extraordinary General Meeting - 1:15 – 1:30pm Saturday 29 June 2013
at Days Inn, Manchester
The meeting discussed and voted on the following proposed amendments to the Constitution:
Current Constitution / Proposed Constitution / Vote4(b) / The elected Executive Committee will co-opt additional members to ensure representation from each of the regional groups and has the power to co-opt further additional members as and when required for specific purposes. / The elected Executive Committee has the power to co-opt additional members as and when required for specific purposes. / Accept / Reject
4(c) / A minimum requirement for members of the Executive Committee is attendance at three meetings in any one year. / A minimum requirement for elected members of the Executive Committee is attendance at three meetings in any one year and, for co-opted members, attendance at meetings relevant to their role.
Meetings are defined as face-to-face or online. / Accept / Reject
4(f) / New statement / The Inner Circle is defined as members that carry out work on behalf of the membership, support or deputise for Executive roles. Members may volunteer for work on the Inner Circle, and may serve for the full year or for a specific period. / Accept / Reject
The vote on the three amendments to the Constitution:
Votes for: 27, votes against: 0 and no abstentions.Email votes were received by 10pm Monday 24 June 2013.
All amendments carried unanimously, with the proviso that the exact wording will be subject to a vote at Conference 2014. Thank you to those using postal voting.
Treasurer
We are urgently seeking someone to join the new Inner Circle to support the work of NAMA as shadow treasurer - duties are not expected to be onerous. Please contact any member of the Executive Committee or for further information, or to volunteer, or to recommend a colleague.
Website
Watch this space!
Over the summer break the current website will disappear and a new one appear, with a host of new features to explore. The site will go offline this week for a couple of days and then the first wave will go live. Members will get an email asking them to visit the site to confirm their membership - this will be genuine! You will be able to explore the first stage of the site. The full site with database will be available at the end of summer.
Visit August to see the changes, and check your emails/twitter/LinkedIn for news of the full launch.
NAMA Conference 2013 Evaluation Feedback
Dear NAMA conference attendee,
On the final day of this year’s successful conference at Aston University (March 14-16, 2013), you kindly provided us with a written evaluation form relating to your thoughts about each of the sessions.
Four months on, we would be really keen to hear from you about how any ‘messages’ and/or the content of specific sessions have been of use to you in your current role, and have informed your practice.
Below is a reminder of the sessions that you may have attended:
Keynote – Jane Jones HMI
Peter Dudley: An overview of lesson study in mathematics - Lesson study UK
Lesson Study Workshops
Secondary: Bowland and Impuls, Lesson Study projectMatt Lewis, Sunita Babbar / Camden Primary lesson study project
workshop led by project teachers
Cathy Brown: STEMNET Regional Networks Manager, East Midlands
STEM Ambassadors and uses of mathematics
Research Plenary: Alison Borthwick
Research Workshops
Dr Rachel MarksResearcher, King’s College London
Ability grouping in primary / Louise Price
Using lesson video for professional development / Dr Dietmar Küchemann, Research Fellow,
ICCAMS project, King’s College London
Plenary: Mathematical Resilience
Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor, University of Warwick
Dr Rosalind Mist, Head of secretariat, Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME)
Your NAMA: A facilitated session where we share information and resource ideas
Please could you provide us with brief details about:
Which sessions you have drawn upon in your work?
What precisely have you taken and used?
How do you think this has been effective and had impact?
Are there other sessions that you plan to draw upon in the next few months, to support you in your work?
Many thanks for this additional feedback. Please send your responses to: subject line FAO Jennie Pennant.
Back to news headlines
National curriculum formal consultation
The government has produced a final draft of the new national curriculum for all subjects and key stages (except for key stage 4 English, mathematics and science).The DfE opened the final consultation for the draft National Curriculum on July 8th 2013; it will close on August 8th 2013.The government has considered the 17,000 responses received to the consultation which closed in April, and has had further direct discussions about the draft programmes of study with key subject organisations, headteachers, teachers and other subject experts.
DfE: “In considering the views expressed, we have been mindful of the original principles of the review and our fundamental aim of returning the national curriculum to its original purpose as a guide to study in key subjects. Our response to the main issues raised in the consultation has now been published……
we have made a range of detailed changes to the programmes of study for all subjects in response to the consultation. These changes are reflected in the revised drafts which have now been published and which form part of the draft Order necessary to bring the new national curriculum into effect.”
Copies of the draft Order and the revised national curriculum framework document can be found at:
How to respond:
Consultation responses can be completed online at
Or email:
Disapplication for year 3 and year 4 and all Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils from September 2013, June 21 2013
Having given careful consideration to the arguments expressed during the public consultation, the government has confirmed its intention to disapply elements of the national curriculum for a time limited period in order to give schools greater flexibility to manage the transition from the existing national curriculum to the new one. This will mean that while maintained schools will still be required to teach national curriculum subjects, they will not be required to teach the centrally prescribed programmes of study (or use attainment targets as part of statutory assessment arrangements) from September 2013 for the following subjects:
- English, mathematics and science for pupils in year 3 and year 4
- all foundation subjects for pupils at key stages 1 and 2
- all subjects for pupils at key stage 3 and key stage 4.
Schools can choose to continue to teach the current programmes of study or they may use the flexibility that disapplication providesto adapt their curricula to ensure that pupils are well-prepared to start learning the new programmes of study which will be introduced from September 2014 (or September 2015 for key stage 4 English, mathematics and science).
Full details:
Back to news headlines
Consultation on Primary Assessment and Accountability
Department for Education's Assessment Team launched the consultation on primary assessment and accountability on 17th July 2013. It follows publication of the new national curriculum programmes of study and the announcement that the current system of levels will be removed and not replaced. The consultation will run until 11 October 2013 and welcomes your input to the consultation.
They are seeking views on how attainment in national curriculum tests should be measured and reported, where we should take a baseline to measure pupils’ progress, and proposals for how schools should be held to account, including through floor standards.
Your views on the consultation can be submitted in one of the following ways:
Online via or
By email to
‘Assessing without levels ‘, updated 14 June 2013
At the National College for Teaching and Learning Annual conference , June 13 2013, ‘Seizing Success’ ,the Secretary of State spoke about school’s ongoing assessment under the new national curriculum, in advance of the consultation on primary assessment and accountability:
•Current system of ‘levels’ used to report attainment and progress will be removed, and ‘not replaced’.
•Stated that the current system is too complicated and difficult to understand, especially for parents.
•‘It also encourages teachers to focus on a pupil’s current level, rather than consider more broadly what the pupil can actually do.’ Adds that the current ‘one prescriptive detailed approach to assessment does not fit with the curriculum freedoms ‘being given to schools.
•Schools will be able to introduce their own approaches to formative assessment , with the assessment framework needing to be built into the school curriculum: ’so that schools can check what pupils have learned and whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the key stage’ , emphasising regular reporting of this to parents.
•Ofsted’s inspections to be informed by ‘whatever pupil tracking data schools choose to keep.’
•Schools continuing to benchmark through statutory end of KS assessments, including National Curriculum Tests
•Consultation on primary assessment and accountability, the DfE will consult on core principles for a school‘scurriculum and assessment system.
•Schools will be free to devise their own systems, but there will be provision of examples of good practice which schools may wish to follow
•Outstanding schools and teaching schools to have an opportunity to take the lead in developing and sharing curriculum systems.
•Will be working with NAHT to support schools, education publishers and subject associations.
Back to news headlines
Michael Gove speech at the National College for Teaching and Leadership
The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove has given a speech at the National College for Teaching and Leadership outlining his belief of and plans for greater teacher autonomy.
Back to news headlines
Post-16 Updates
Maths for all not yet holding GCSE C
Core Maths is a new post-16 qualification for the gap between C grade GCSE and AS to start Sep 2015 (at latest)
•MEI Quantative Methods Unit Sep 2014 first teaching
•ACME working on qualification guidelines
•ACME estimate 5000 new maths teachers needed to meet needs of post 16 maths (more if Core Maths is compulsory)
TechBacc L3: will include Core maths
Post 16 accountability: to include post-16 maths take-up
A level
•Concerns at DfE around flexibility of applications papers & potential dip in take-up
•Debate on AS as stepping stone to A level
•Regional meetings between groups of Universities & awarding bodies → Ofqual proposals (end Jul/early Aug?)→ DfE consultation
•DfE tender for enhanced FMSP out now
•Likely minimal changes 2015, review for 2016
Universities
•To be involved in development of new A level qualifications
•To make Core Maths a requirement for entry
•To make Further Maths a requirement for more courses
•To set up Maths Free schools (to become Beacon Schools)
SKE [subject knowledge enhancement courses]
•Wide range of lengths, content, gatekeeping currently available
•Consultation – including whether SKE should be compulsory for eg Schools Direct
Liz Truss letter to HoDoMS [Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences] outlines her support for Specialist Maths Free Schools and other developments around core maths qualifications and further maths:
ACME reports:
Post-16 Mathematics: A strategy for improving provision and participation [strategy] Dec 2012provides an overview of the fundamental changes needed to the structure and type of mathematics qualifications
Post-16 Mathematics: Planning for success [implementation]Dec 2012 describes the steps that will need to be taken to make this work:
TechBacc news:
BSRLM 2013 March [linked from ncetm Sec/FE news]: Peter Osmon A level pathway suggestion
Back to news headlines
NCETM
We’re pleased to confirm new dates this autumn for our programme of national free face-to-face events for Primary CPD leads, the NCETMProfessional Development Lead Support Programme (PDLSP).
Those who complete the programme are accredited by the NCETM to provide professional development in the priority areas of arithmetic proficiency in primary schools, and algebraic proficiency in secondary schools and colleges; to date over 140 participants in the programme have been accredited, with more to come.The dates and locations for the new Primary cohorts are: