2 days ago
A systematic maths approach could unlock stronger results across primary schools
When Nathan Forbes took on the role of principal at Budgewoi Public School in 2020, he recognised an opportunity to enhance the school's maths program.
The school had room for improvement in maths results, with Nathan observing a diverse range of teaching approaches among staff, including discovery and games-based teaching strategies.
Fast-forward five short years and a lot has changed. Teachers take a systematic approach to teaching maths, following a common lesson sequence from Foundation to Year 6 and explicitly teaching new content to students.
Now, there's no guess work about what maths topics to teach or how, and lessons are fast-paced as kids have no time to waste.
It's paying off. While there's still plenty left to work on, students and teachers have made great strides. Budgewoi's 2024 NAPLAN numeracy results improved from 2023, with Year 3 students performing well above students in similar schools.
The question is: what's holding other schools back from doing the same thing?
Budgewoi's journey shows us how challenging it is to lead school improvement, and why state governments need to invest in the kind of shoulder-to-shoulder support principals need.
The challenge of school improvement
Budgewoi serves a community with many families experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, including many Indigenous households.
When Nathan arrived in 2020, he found a school deeply committed to student wellbeing but lacking focus on learning outcomes.
'I gained the sense that student learning outcomes were not the focus,' Nathan told us when we visited the school as part of the research for our report, How to implement great maths teaching in primary schools: a guide for principals.
'I developed the view that if we raised expectations of ourselves and our students, we were capable of much better results,' Nathan said.
The transition wasn't easy. Some teachers initially resisted the shift to a systematic maths approach, where content was sequenced lesson by lesson and new content was taught explicitly — that is, in small chunks, with teachers providing whole-class explanations, lots of opportunities for practice and immediate feedback, before students work independently. Some teachers regarded it as 'really regimented, like the army'.
Nathan said he had to build understanding about the cognitive science behind the approach, so staff understood that 'we're not doing it because other schools do. We're doing it because it's based on science and helps students to learn. Once teachers have the why, you can get into the what and how.'
A turning point came when Nathan recruited two experienced maths leaders with expertise in explicit instruction — a decision he described as the best he ever made.
These specialists helped refocus the school's approach, introducing structured training sessions and establishing observation and coaching cycles. They also implemented a new assessment schedule in maths, with quarterly 'data weeks' where staff analysed students' results to understand the impact of their teaching methods.
Leaning on other schools for help
Amy Haywood is the deputy program director of the education program at the Grattan Institute and co-author of the The Maths Guarantee report. ( Supplied: Amy Haywood )
Budgewoi didn't do this work alone. Its instructional vision was inspired by visits to three nearby Hunter Region public schools — Blue Haven, Charlestown South and The Entrance (which was just one year ahead in its implementation journey) — where systematic maths teaching had proven effective.
These schools teamed up, developing a common set of sequenced and detailed lessons plans, which Budgewoi has now adopted. Nathan said the materials supported high-quality teaching while alleviating much of teachers' workload burden.
The results speak volumes: accelerated learning, improved NAPLAN results and teachers developing significant maths curriculum expertise.
Perhaps most importantly, the principal notes, 'Budgewoi's experience shows that good-quality teaching looks the same in the most disadvantaged and most advantaged schools, and all kids can learn maths if we teach the right way.'
The case for Maths Hubs
What if we could systematise this approach across Australia?
This is where Maths Hubs come in. Drawing on England's Hubs model, Australia should establish 50 Maths Hubs as demonstration schools that showcase best practice and provide intensive support to about 150 other primary schools in their area.
These hubs, established at existing high-performing schools, would bridge the gap between research evidence, education policy and classroom practice.
With about $930,000 in additional funding per year, each hub school could employ a lead coordinator, a lead mathematics specialist and the equivalent of three full-time maths coaches.
These specialists, who may also work part-time teaching at the school, would provide training to teachers across their region, including hosting school visits; conducting or unpacking demonstration lessons; and delivering topic-specific training.
'Maths Hubs' are demonstration schools that showcase best practice and provide intensive support to other schools in their area. ( Supplied: Budgewoi Public School )
Hubs would offer intensive, two-year partnerships to schools, starting with those most in need — those with low performance, inexperienced staff or a combination of both. These schools would get shoulder-to-shoulder support from hub coaches, including practical help improving their curriculum and assessment schedule.
Within about 10 years, Maths Hubs could provide intensive partnership training to all primary schools in Australia.
The evidence from England suggests this approach works. Its Maths Hubs program has been credited by the national school inspectorate with helping create 'a resounding, positive shift in mathematics education'.
Australia should learn from Budgewoi Public School
Budgewoi's experience shows that improving primary maths teaching is hard work.
Without the right support, even the most dedicated school leaders will struggle to make systemic changes stick. But by establishing Maths Hubs, Australian governments can provide the on-the-ground support school leaders need.
The stakes couldn't be higher. As Budgewoi's principal told us: 'I've made a lot of mistakes, and we moved quickly — maybe too quickly — but we've also made a lot of progress.'
With Maths Hubs, more schools could make that progress, and make it faster. Our students deserve nothing less.
Amy Haywood is the deputy program director of the education program at the Grattan Institute and co-author of the new guide for principals on How to implement great maths teaching in primary schools.
