Research School Network: What are some of the drivers of the attainment gap in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 for disadvantaged children? links between language and literacy and disadvantage

Time spent talking with school leaders working in communities with high levels of socio-economic disadvantage is a professional privilege of our work. Recent discussions found us attempting to unpack some of the drivers of the attainment gap in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2.

The links between language and literacy, and disadvantage are well documented and understood. But issues around numeracy and disadvantage tend to be less well regularly considered. Some of the themes arising from discussions with leaders included in-school matters such as:

• issues relating to with working memory – the work of, and classroom guide from Gathercole and Alloway is helpful here, especially if pupils are anxious or experiencing issues beyond the classroom
• place value is a significant issue that if not understood in the early years can create problems in later key stages …. ​‘a crammed curriculum’ can limit time to really check for sound understanding and adapt teaching accordingly
• with aspects of early reading such as phonics, approaches tend to be very clearly codified and supported with excellent resources and training – there tends to be less codification and clarity around early numeracy and this can manifest as teachers and support staff may feel more confident around language and literacy development than they do around mathematics
• ineffective strategic deployment of teaching assistants can create a separation effect if children with the greatest need spend more time away from the teacher – we cannot expect these pupils to be confident with maths if they are not working with qualified teachers – but their peers are

Looking beyond the school, colleagues shared reflections from their contexts which included influences such as:

• a lack of confidence around number and maths at home, within the family may be an issue – parents may lack confidence with maths and as a result talk negatively about the subject influencing motivation and confidence (“I was never any good at maths ….”)
• a lack of exposure to early childhood songs and nursery rhymes with patterns and repetition (‘five little ducks went swimming one day’ and ​‘one two three four five, once I caught a fish alive’…) may also be influencing familiarity with number; added to this,​‘counting board games’ such as snakes and ladders can be seen to have fallen out of fashion too
• a lack of exposure to concrete or practical applications when it comes to numeracy away from school – growing up in poverty is likely to impact on conversations about money, making them more likely to be less frequently positive and to be associated with stress, anxiety and worry
• issues around oral language development, limited exposure to ​‘language rich’ environments where conversations encourage analysis and problem solving, as well as the challenges associated with reading comprehension
• a lack of exposure to early childhood songs, et cetera may also be influencing familiarity with number, along with the sense that ​‘counting board games’ such as snakes and ladders may have fallen out of fashion too.

Discussions explored how issues of lower self-esteem and self-confidence may be drivers that negatively impact on pupils’ sense of agency when it comes to maths. These can themselves be exacerbated by overly focusing on a ​‘catch-up’ model of intervention. This can start quite early and be problematic. It can mean that the least confident pupils are working with adults who have lower levels of subject knowledge than the class teacher. Such ​‘catch-up’ interventions appear to be is less effective than academic and social inclusion in the early years and key stage one.

Starting points recognised to be supporting a closing of the gap included:

• ensuring that lower-prior attaining pupils are working with high-quality, well trained, experienced, knowledgeable teachers
• a culture where children from low-income households are held in high regard by all adults in the school
• as professionals, we need to be the champions for pupils whose parents and families might struggle to support learning outside of school or be less confident about how to engage with school life, formal learning, and numeracy
• that it can be powerful, when working with families, to support confidence with number, encouraging them to play games and talk positively about numeracy
• how we should not rely on what children are doing outside of school as the key to addressing the challenge – parents can help, of course, but it is what we do ourselves in school that really matters

Numeracy is vital to social, academic and career success, but we need to remember that schools are where professionals are trained to be experts in the teaching of numeracy. However, ​‘training is taking place’ does not always mean that it is enacted effectively in the classroom. We must be minded that the greater the variability in the quality of the mathematics teaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds experience, the greater the likely impact on their learning and outcomes.

The EEF guidance report for Early Years and Key Stage One Mathematics provides us with some helpful steers. Much of the guidance might seem familiar, however it is important to do these things well. Recommendations in the guidance include:

- developing practitioners understanding of how children learn mathematics
- dedicating time for this learning explicitly as a subject and weave through the school day.
- how using concrete manipulatives to develop understanding is fundamental for all children but particularly those that again lack such opportunities outside of school
- ensuring that teaching builds on what children already know.

We are reminded that a rigorous approach to checking for understanding is fundamental. Resisting the urge to rush through content and rely on responses from a small number of pupils is particularly important in successful teaching of early maths.

The tyranny of pace is one of the great challenges around mathematics. If children develop low confidence, they will find a way to ​‘get through’ their mathematics lessons rather than really participating and thinking hard. This can result in superficial success at best, rather than thinking hard and experiencing meaningful success.

We need to be relentlessly focused on quality learning experiences for all, securing time for mathematics. We must ensure that children do not find ways of getting through their mathematics, but rather they spend time developing a language of success, and confidence with number.

It is vital that we do not give secret signals to children that only correct answers are valued, and that we instead focus on the process of learning, champion problem solving and model resilience rather than simply valuing the outcome.

The attainment gap in mathematics can be addressed by codifying our approach, being systematic and having the same high expectations and focus that we have for early reading.

With thanks to Rowena Lucas, Hub Lead, Ramsbury English Hub for her advice on this article.

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