Maths specialists for primary schools

Over 10,000 primary school teachers in England are to be trained to become maths specialists.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls plans to train more than 1,000 teachers every year for the next ten years so that every primary school as at least one 'champion' in the subject.

Mr Balls has accepted the recommendations made in a Government review by Sir Peter Williams, Chancellor of Leicester University, which said every child should leave primary school "without a fear of maths" and should master the basics of the subject by the age of seven.

Nearly one in four 11-year-olds leaves primary school without reaching the standard expected of the age group in numeracy.

At GCSE, more than half of teenagers fail to get five C-grades in subjects including maths and English.

The review said children should be playing with shapes, time, capacity and numbers from a young age to foster their "natural instincts" in numeracy.

It recommends toddlers should play with numbers at nursery and spend more time cooking with their parents to improve their maths skills.

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