Recent neuroscience research tells us that the human brain has a ‘map’ for perceiving numbers - for instance, determining the number of cookies in a jar.

Other evidence suggests that the ability to discriminate between sets of objects is predictive of mathematical ability (Halberda et al, 2008; Piazza et al, 2010). Those who lack this innate “numerosity” are described as dyscalculic (Piazza et al, 2010; Mazzocco et al, 2011).

I was introduced to numerosity by Professor Brian Butterworth, emeritus professor of cognitive neuropsychology at UCL. His interest in this area started when working with stroke patients who had lost all numerical ability but retained capacity in other domains.

Butterworth’s experience shows that continued failure to acknowledge dyscalculia is leaving teachers ill equipped.

His research advocates concrete symbolism - the use of objects and digits to support number sense, no matter the learner’s age.

He describes a nine-year-old who confuses four dots for five and routinely tots up small sums on his fingers. Research suggests that finger-based counting may facilitate the establishment of mental number representations by fostering the mapping from concrete to abstract. This indicates that digit use might be an important and aid to teaching and learning methods.

If only my own Year 3 teacher Mrs Egan had been more research informed. I vividly recall being ridiculed for counting up on my fingers in a mental maths test.

In the words of Professor Elizabeth Brannon at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, “numerosity is the conceptual building block upon which mathematical ability is built”. Perhaps we need to link our passion for maths mastery with the wisdom of neuroscience and give greater importance to developing numerosity in our classrooms.

Margaret Mulholland is director of development and research at Swiss Cottage School in Camden, London