It's often said that people will confess to being innumerate with a cheerful admittance they would never dream of displaying were they illiterate. This is reflective of the stigma attached to mathematics and the misguided lack of value often ascribed to it. The growing popularity of maths qualifications and the premium they command in the jobs market, however, would seem to suggest otherwise. Isn't it just as likely that for many adults, it's easier to adopt a self-mocking indifference than admit to being confused, or even scared, by numbers?
Maths anxiety is an extremely common and incredibly persistent phenomenon. Indeed, teachers tell me that it's so persistent, children routinely claim it's passed down through the generations, like some baleful family legacy. According to the survey on which this report is based, teachers think it's the number one impediment to learning, closely followed by a lack of support at home, which of course may be due to parents' own fear of all things mathematical.
Another theme to emerge from this survey is the gender divide - the different ways in which girls and boys tend to approach and perceive maths - and how the low confidence of the former could be affecting outcomes.
No single measure or strategy can hope to completely counter such deep-seated and widespread concerns, but the Education Endowment Foundation has usefully suggested there are four key areas in developing good maths practice - teacher skills and expertise, targeted interventions and support, impactful practice, and programme engagement.
Our New Group Maths Test, I'm delighted to say, helps with all four. Its easy-to-interpret reports are designed for the specialist and non-specialist alike. Its comprehensive data provides clear evidence about what is happening in the classroom and allows teachers to deploy nuanced interventions. While its adaptive, highly personalised nature is engaging and child-friendly because it adapts to the level of each individual student, whether they excel at maths or not.
There are no silver bullets in education - but we hope this report and NGMT will at least equip schools and teachers with useful additions to their arsenal.
Maths anxiety is an extremely common and incredibly persistent phenomenon.
