Primary schools the weak link for maths

MATHS skills among Australian students improve markedly in high school, when students catch up to the high-performing Asian nations.

MATHS skills among Australian students improve markedly in high school, when students catch up to the high-performing Asian nations, underscoring the problem with maths in primary schools.

An analysis of primary and secondary results in international tests shows the gap in maths performance between Australian students and their Asian peers narrows in high school from a large gap in primary school.

The study by the Institute of Education at the University of London looked at test scores for students in years 4, 8 and 9 between 2003 and 2009, comparing England with other nations including Australia and the Asian nations such as Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

It found the gap in maths performance was established by the time children were nine or 10 years old, pointing to the need to reform maths education in primary and preschool programs.

An analysis of the data by lobby group Save Our Schools, headed by former Productivity Commission economist Trevor Cobbold, found that among Australian students, the gap with East Asian students did not increase between the ages of 10 and 14, and in fact fell significantly in high school between the ages of 14 and 16. Mr Cobbold said the dramatic improvement in early high school suggested that Australian students could be even closer to the Asian countries by the end of high school.

"These results indicate that maths education in the middle years of secondary school in Australia is very strong," he said.

"They also suggest that more attention should be given to improving mathematics education in primary school and junior secondary school."

The English study emphasises the importance of maths education in the preschool years and Mr Cobbold points out that Australia has one of the lowest enrolment rates in preschool education of countries in the OECD group of industrialised nations.

"There are no requirements for pre-service training in mathematics for primary school teachers in Australia, in contrast to several East Asian countries," Mr Cobbold said.

Reforms to teacher training announced by the NSW government last week sets a high minimum standard for all aspiring teachers in that state.