Getting the basics right at school is one of For Britain’s most important policies. Children are leaving our schools without sufficient skills in the most fundamental subjects

https://www.forbritain.uk/2020/03/02/maths-were-losing-our-ability-to-count/

Getting the basics right at school is one of For Britain’s most important policies. Children are leaving our schools without sufficient skills in the most fundamental subjects, such as maths and English.

A For Britain member and maths tutor has sent us this account of the mathematics skills she encounters in her work.

Regarding multiplication, I rarely see children who know their times-table well, even in secondary school. If they do come up with an answer, they often count one at a time – there is no instant recall in sums such as 6 x 7. Even with the times-table, some don’t realise that 8 x 2 for instance is the same as 2 x 8.

It is astounding, because within a short time studying these basic skills with me, through daily repetition, they can recall instantly all of the basic addition, subtraction and multiplication sums.

These skills should form the basis of all mathematics teaching in schools, and pupils should be taught how to work things out mentally.

When I was at school (many years ago!) we had daily drills on times-tables, and once these are learned, they are never forgotten.

It is impossible for instance to learn how to add fractions if the tables have not been learned thoroughly. This applies in numerous other areas where these basics also need to be applied. They cannot understand more difficult concepts without a thorough knowledge of these basic skills.