Maths teacher Mr Duncan McBain shares insights from the Grattan Institute’s much-discussed maths report, illuminating strategies to enhance mathematical education and teacher confidence.
A paper published by the Grattan Institute in April shows that one in three Australian school students fail to achieve proficiency in maths.
The report, The Maths Guarantee: How to boost students’ learning in primary schools, shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle the most with maths. But one in five students from well-off families struggle too.
A Grattan Institute survey of 1,745 teachers and school leaders across the country, conducted for the report, found some teachers lack confidence to teach Year 6 maths, and many have concerns about their colleagues’ ability to teach maths.
“Maths has been deprioritised in Australia for decades,” said report lead author and Grattan Institute Education Program Director Ms Jordana Hunter.
“Governments have also been too slow to rule out faddish but unproven maths teaching methods.
“To turn rhetoric into reality, governments need to take seriously the evidence base on how humans, including children, learn maths most effectively.”
The report’s authors were resolute: when maths is taught well, children and the nation benefit. But taught poorly, students are robbed of a core life skill.
They noted that innumerate adults have worse job prospects and are more likely to struggle with routine tasks such as managing budgets and understanding health guidance.
“The opportunity to lift maths achievement starts in primary schools. Maths is highly cumulative, so it is imperative that primary schools teach
maths well and lay down strong foundations for future success,” the authors said.
They said most primary teachers are expected to teach maths, but not all have the maths knowledge, confidence, and training to teach it well.
“This isn’t fair for students. And it’s not fair for teachers either,” they said.
According to the Grattan report, there are proven strategies to turn this around.
It says some schools have already put these strategies in place.
“By implementing explicit and systematic teaching, effective catch-up support, and high-quality professional learning for teachers, students at these schools are making fast progress and teachers feel successful.”
Believing all primary students and teachers deserve to experience that success, the report’s authors recommend governments, along with the Catholic and independent school sectors, should commit to a 10-year Maths Guarantee strategy.
“First, they should commit to a long-term aspiration of 90 per cent of students achieving proficiency in numeracy, as measured by NAPLAN,” they said.
“Second, they should ensure schools have clear guidance on how to teach maths well. Department staff should align on this guidance too.”
Third, they recommend governments should arm schools with quality-assured curriculum materials and rigorously evaluated assessments.
“Fourth, they should invest in high-quality professional development to support teachers and school leaders to implement best practice in their classrooms.
“Fifth, they should improve monitoring and oversight through stronger school reviews and the introduction of a mandatory, research-validated early years numeracy screening tool.”
Deserving of attention
As Junior School Mathematics Coordinator at Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne, Mr Duncan McBain is responsible for teaching and leading maths education from prep to year six.
He has been at the school since 2022 and in his current role since mid-2023, with 16 years of teaching experience. His role includes developing staff skills, implementing evidence-based teaching methods, and supporting students’ mathematical learning.
Mr McBain sees the Grattan Institute’s maths report as a pivotal moment for mathematical education.
“Throughout my 16-year teaching career, literacy has consistently dominated school priorities, with reading and writing taking centre stage. It’s encouraging to see mathematics finally receiving the attention it deserves,” he said.
“The report identifies a critical need to refocus our educational efforts, giving mathematics its much-needed moment in the spotlight.”
Mr McBain also notes The Maths Guarantee mirrors his educational philosophy of evidence-based teaching.
“The report’s five points align with current educational research, validating the approaches many experts have been advocating,” he said.
“It’s particularly encouraging for our school, as we’ve already been on this journey towards evidence-based mathematics teaching for the past couple of years. Seeing these strategies now being recommended across government, Catholic, and independent school sectors confirms we’re on the right path and provides broader validation of our approach.”
Growing confidence
The challenge of mathematical confidence among teachers is a pervasive issue in education, deeply rooted in systemic gaps and personal insecurities. Mr McBain said he has often witnessed it.
“In every school I’ve worked, I’ve encountered teachers hesitant to teach older students due to their own mathematical uncertainty. Some openly admit, ‘’I’d love to teach the older kids, but I don’t know the math, so I’m not going to do that’.
“It’s a pervasive challenge I’ve witnessed consistently across different educational settings, reflecting a broader confidence crisis in mathematical education,” he said.
The consequences of this lack of confidence are significant.
He believes the solution is multifaceted, requiring comprehensive support systems. Mr McBain said initial teacher education must be reimagined to build robust mathematical understanding, providing educators with both content knowledge and pedagogical strategies.
Professional development programs need to target mathematical confidence specifically, offering targeted support and skill-building opportunities.
Curriculum materials play a crucial role in supporting teachers.
“Once they start feeling successful with teaching the mathematical content,” he said, “they’re going to start enjoying teaching maths.” This psychological dimension is critical – confidence breeds engagement, and engagement drives improved educational outcomes.
The Grattan Institute’s report corresponds with Mr McBain’s observations, highlighting the need for systematic approaches to building mathematical confidence. By creating supportive environments, providing high-quality resources, and recognising the psychological barriers teachers face, education systems can begin to address this fundamental challenge.
Mr McBain also shared his enthusiasm for several key recommendations in the report.
The early years screening tool stands out: “Mandating the early years screening tool is a game-changing recommendation. It’s essential for identifying students at risk of falling behind in fundamental mathematical skills,” he said.
“The Centre for Independent Studies is currently running a screening project involving around 100 schools, including MLC, which I believe is crucial for developing evidence-based assessment strategies. By implementing these screening tools, we can proactively identify and support students struggling with basic number facts and mathematical abilities before these gaps become insurmountable.”
Another positive aspect in the report is the focus on initial teacher education.
“Similar to recent literacy reforms, this approach aims to build robust university courses with strong structural frameworks for mathematics teaching. The key is creating a hierarchical, sequenced learning approach with small, manageable steps,” he said.
“By developing initial teachers’ skills systematically and showing them how to apply mathematical concepts progressively, we can alleviate the current confidence gap. This structured approach will help new teachers build their mathematical knowledge and teaching capabilities more effectively.”
Lastly, Mr McBain is intrigued about the report’s proposal to create ‘Maths Hubs’ to enable the best primary schools to work directly with other schools that need help.
“To allow teachers to build and learn from each other… that’s so positive,” he said, highlighting the collaborative potential of these proposed educational networks.
“So many principals I’ve worked with have sought peer observation,” he notes, “and the best professional development you’re going to get is learning from another teacher.”
This peer-to-peer learning model could transform mathematical education by creating structured opportunities for knowledge exchange.
The potential for cross-school collaboration excites Mr McBain, particularly the opportunity to learn from high-performing mathematical institutions.
“Schools like Bentley West, Docklands Primary School, and Ballarat Clarendon – who have gone through the journey and have gone through change – being able to work side-by-side with teachers in those schools is so valuable,” he said.
These hubs represent more than just professional development; they’re about building a community of mathematical expertise. “You’re building this community of maths and maths education,” he said, seeing the potential for systemic improvement through shared learning and collaborative strategies.
By creating these networks, schools can share best practices, support each other’s growth, and ultimately create a more robust, interconnected approach to mathematical education across different sectors.
The Grattan report’s ambitious goal of 90 per cent maths proficiency seems entirely achievable to Mr McBain.
“It’s definitely achievable,” he said.
Training for teachers
Professor Joanna Barbousas, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education, Impact and Innovation at La Trobe University, said the Grattan Institute’s latest report is yet more evidence that Australia needs to take action to halt its ongoing numeracy crisis.
“The lifetime impact for students who fall behind on these core skills is substantial, affecting long-term employment, health and social outcomes and perpetuating cycles of disadvantage,” she said.
“Teachers are telling us they feel unprepared for the classroom. When half of our 15-year-olds fail to achieve national standards in maths, it’s not the students who are failing, it’s our approach to education.”
With more than 29 years’ experience in education, Professor Barbousas is credited with fundamentally reshaping both teacher education and education policy in Australia.
Since joining La Trobe University in 2016, she has positioned the School of Education as a leading provider of teacher education through evidence-based innovation and explicit teaching.
Well-known for its Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab, which retrains literacy teachers with explicit methods, La Trobe University recently launched the Science of Mathematics Education (SOME) Lab, which aims to tackle Australia’s mathematics crisis, training teachers how to break down concepts into clear, logical steps to replace the fads that have left many students struggling with basic numeracy.
“SOME Lab will empower educators to understand how people learn mathematics, promoting low-variance, highly systematised instructional approaches to ensure all children develop sound and robust numeracy skills,” Professor Barbousas said.
More reading: How to implement great maths teaching in primary schools
