Introduction

Mathematics education in schools in England is at a critical point. A decade ago, the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) (DfEE 1999) was introduced by the British government; this later became part of what was referred to as the National Primary Strategy. The purpose of the NNS was to help schools and practising teachers to raise children’s achievement in mathematics. The strategy team has been offering a range of support to schools – in terms of both professional development courses and materials. In March 2011, the NNS will come to an end, although we hope that the expertise developed by practitioners through this initiative will continue to have some influence on the quality of learning and teaching mathematics. Among new developments in mathematics education there have been two important milestones. First, Professor Adrian Smith (DfES 2004) conducted a ground-breaking enquiry into mathematics education, which made recommendations for raising the status of mathematics in the curriculum through effective professional development of teachers and by increasing the supply of mathematics graduates into the profession. The government pledged to take action to raise our young people’s interest in mathematics and to improve the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics. Following the Smith Report, the influential Williams Review (Williams 2008) into primary mathematics teaching renewed the message that, irrespective of the age and stage of a child, a high-quality curriculum and excellent teaching are two conditions for successful learning of mathematics. As the report explains, the National Curriculum for England and Wales (DfEE/QCA 1999) sets out the decisions that determine the knowledge, skills and understanding deemed to be essential for all children. It is stressed that, no matter how good the curriculum, it cannot benefit children in the absence of excellent teaching.