Shadow Education Secretary Outlines Plans to Improve Early Numeracy Education
Politics

Labour plans to tackle the “chronic cultural problem with maths” by ensuring that the subject is better taught from an earlier age, Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced. The party’s proposals focus on enhancing “real-world” maths education in primary schools, with an emphasis on early intervention to foster stronger lifelong numeracy skills.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Phillipson will outline the party’s commitment to integrating practical numeracy skills—essential for both work and daily life—into children’s learning from the outset. Labour’s plan includes upskilling primary school teachers to deliver high-quality maths lessons and launching an expert-led review to promote high educational standards.

The proposed Curriculum Review would encourage teachers to demonstrate how numeracy is used in everyday situations, such as through household budgeting, sports league tables, currency exchange rates during travel, and recipes. Labour’s plan also aims to incorporate financial literacy into maths teaching, with real-life examples like using Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) to explain percentages.

This initiative follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of plans to introduce the Advanced British Standard (ABS), a new qualification to eventually replace A-levels and T-levels, with post-16 students required to study some form of maths and English until the age of 18. Labour’s intervention seeks to address issues with numeracy that persist into adulthood, such as the inability to interpret basic graphs or calculate supermarket discounts.

Phillipson will also pledge to reform Sunak’s Maths to 18 working group, ensuring it shifts focus towards primary education and examines the equivalent of phonics for maths. Furthermore, the party plans to collaborate with nurseries to establish trained “Maths champions” who will support early learning in childcare settings.

The Labour government would fund its proposed “Teacher Training Entitlement” to upskill primary school teachers by ending tax breaks for private schools. This measure is intended to help teachers deliver the high-quality maths education needed to improve numeracy outcomes across the country.

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), welcomed Labour’s focus on numeracy, highlighting its importance for all young people. However, Barton cautioned that maths teaching in primary schools is already strong and any intervention should support existing efforts rather than overhaul them completely. He stressed the need for adequate funding and resources for primary schools, as well as time for teachers to develop their expertise in maths education.

Barton also endorsed the emphasis on teaching numeracy in practical, real-world contexts, particularly as students grow older, and expressed support for the proposed curriculum review to ensure that pupils are equipped with the skills most relevant to daily life.