14th March 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Research conducted by the Institute of Education suggests that the top 10% of Britain’s ablest primary school maths pupils drop behind those in Slovenia, Australia and Norway by the time they reach the age of 16. While at primary school, results show that the marks of high achieving maths students match those of counterpart pupils in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
However, analysis of tests taken by 16-year-olds indicates that the brightest mathematicians had done less well when compared to pupils overseas. The bottom 10% of students had managed to catch up with East Asian students meaning that the overall performance of English pupils had not declined. In 2009, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that out of 65 countries, England came 28th for Maths.
From this, the Institute of Education have determined that when compared to pupils overseas, the highest-achieving English students seem to make less progress in Maths, particularly between the ages of 10 and 16. Sir Michael Wilshaw, England’s chief inspector of schools, warned last month that some pupils who performed very well at primary school were obtaining lower marks at secondary school. He believes that brighter students in state schools should be pushed in the same way that they would be in independent or grammar schools.
In their report, the Institute of Education have recommended that policymakers focus on educational reforms in primary schools so that high-achieving children can continue to obtain top marks at secondary school. This would be through gifted and talented schemes as well as a cultural shift towards a stronger belief in the value of education and significance of a hard work ethic.