Secondary schools that use non-specialist teachers to teach maths should make sure they are given CPD to ensure they can do it effectively, Ofsted has said.
In a new subject report focused on maths teaching, the inspectorate says recruiting and retaining high-quality subject teachers is a challenge for many schools and this makes it more difficult to give a high-quality maths education.
The inspectorate also warns that leaders’ curriculum decisions are increasingly influenced by the need to cope with these difficulties.
Ofsted’s subject report adds that: “Some schools that identify this problem do not take steps to develop the subject knowledge and subject-specific pedagogical knowledge of less-experienced and non-specialist teachers.”
In its recommendations, it says secondary schools should “make sure that non-specialist teachers receive the necessary professional development, including subject knowledge and subject-specific pedagogical knowledge, to teach mathematics effectively”.
Last year, a research report by the National Foundation for Educational Research warned that almost half of secondary schools are using non-specialist teachers for maths lessons.
Its subject report on maths is based on 50 subject visits to a sample of primary and secondary schools carried out between September 2021 and November 2022.
In it, Ofsted makes a series of recommendations that include telling “those responsible for recruiting teachers” that they should ensure sure that all pupils are taught by teachers with appropriate levels of subject knowledge and subject teaching knowledge.
The report says that the overall picture of maths education is now broadly more positive than it was 11 years ago when Ofsted last published a report on the subject.
Ofsted said programmes such as Maths Hubs are giving teachers opportunities to develop their subject teaching knowledge.
It adds: “As a result, high-quality CPD for many maths teachers is a particular strength in England’s schools. It enables teachers to teach with clarity and precision, helping pupils understand new concepts.”
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said: “Mathematics is a core part of every school curriculum. It provides children with the tools they need to understand the world and lays the foundation for a range of disciplines and professions.
“Despite sector-wide recruitment challenges, the picture for maths education in England has continued to improve. I hope that our recommendations are useful for subject leaders and teachers when constructing a challenging and engaging maths curriculum.”
However, the report says that in some secondary schools, students are not given opportunities to master foundational mathematical knowledge because teaching is over-focused on exam success.
And it says some students are rushed through new content too quickly.
It also says that in most secondary schools visited, decisions about GCSE entry tiers are, “in practice, taken at the end of Year 9, based on levels of attainment at that time rather than, more appropriately, in Year 11”.
Ofsted says these early decisions about tiers of entry determine the curriculum pathway for these students in key stage 4 and “limits the mathematics that some students learn”.
In some schools, the choice of mathematical methods taught is left to individual teachers’ preferences rather than taken as a broader curriculum decision.
It recommends that the Department for Education, Ofqual and awarding bodies should explore whether the current design of the maths GCSE, including the tiers of entry offered and current typical grade thresholds, contribute to practices in schools that are not in pupils’ best interests.
