Children who had access to nursery teachers trained as “Maths Champions” made, on average, three months of additional progress in maths and language development compared to 3- and 4-year-olds who did not get this specialist support, according to a new analysis.
Researchers at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) concluded that access to Maths Champions offers the potential in closing the attainment gap between children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.
Children eligible for the early years pupil premium who received the programme made, on average, up to six months of additional progress in maths.
However, the researchers say the latter finding should be interpreted with caution as fewer children were included in the analysis, which has been published today by the EEF.
The one-year programme, developed and delivered by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and funded by the EEF, supports early years providers to improve their maths provision by nominating a senior member of existing staff as a Maths Champion to undertake training and support colleagues to develop their maths teaching practice.
A deputy Maths Champion is also selected to assist with this work.
The training includes early years maths theory, how to support fellow members of staff and auditing current practice. It also offers support with developing a maths action plan and tracking children’s progress.
More than 1,300 children from 134 early years settings, including private, voluntary, independent and school-based nurseries, took part in the trial, which ran from September 2021 to July 2022.
Children’s development was measured using the Assessment Profile on Entry for Children and Toddlers’ maths score.
The evaluation - by a team from the University of York and Durham University - aimed to find out if the programme, which focused on professional development for staff, could improve 3- and 4-year-olds’ ability in maths.
Gemma Smith, a nursery teacher at Thornton Primary School in Bradford, who took part in the trial, said: “It has improved staff confidence with maths and has had a positive effect on children. It has made us all step back and look at where we were with maths and make some positive changes to our daily routines and classroom practice.”
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the EEF, said the early years of a child’s life determines so much about their future, but warned there is “a distinct lack of evidence-based options available to early years settings”.
She added: “Today’s findings are hugely significant, giving early years educators a much-needed, proven, cost-effective programme to consider when looking to make changes to their early numeracy provision.
“Programmes like Maths Champions have the power to help us leverage this critical period in children’s development, using it to make sure that they build the foundations they need to achieve their potential.”
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the NDNA, said the findings that the Maths Champion programme leads to three months of additional progress for children in less than a year “is a significant impact for a child aged 3 or 4”.
She added: “Ensuring confidence with maths early on can make a significant difference, especially for disadvantaged children’s lives.
“The evaluation shows some evidence of an even greater impact for those children, helping to close the attainment gap.”
Dr Lyn Robinson-Smith, assistant professor at York Trials Unit at the University of York, who was the principal investigator on the evaluation, said the research shows the Maths Champions programme to be “a successful mechanism for improving the quality of early maths practice, and subsequently positively improving all children’s maths and language attainment within the same year.”
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.
