RISE webinar explores effective early maths practice

The importance of early maths

As part of a series of free, one-hour webinars focused on the importance of the Reception year and the impact of a good level of development on the overall attainment of pupils, the NCETM Director for Primary, Debbie Morgan, recently co-hosted a webinar on the vital role early maths plays in children’s long-term mathematical development. She was joined by Deborah Sullivan, assistant headteacher at St Thomas More Primary in the West Midlands.

Deborah leads on maths in Early Years and is a local leader of maths education (LLME) and Primary Mastery Specialist with Central Maths Hub. In the session, she shares how her school uses Mastering Number, how they develop children’s spatial reasoning, and the professional development that has informed her practice. She also reflects on how she has supported colleagues across her school and through her Work Groups.

The webinar covered:

• the impact that early maths has on the life chances of young people
• approaches to teaching early maths and supporting children to meet their Early Learning Goals (ELGs)
• an overview of maths in the ELGs and a review of the evidence and tools that school leaders should be aware of.

RISE is an initiative, funded by the Department for Education, which offers schools targeted and universal support to strengthen teaching and raise outcomes through evidence-informed practice. RISE forms part of the government’s Opportunity Mission, which aims to break down the barriers to opportunity and ensure that a child's background does not determine their success at school.

The recorded webinar is now available to watch online.