Where Australia’s maths problem starts

But this is not happening for one in three West Australian children — that’s eight students in a typical classroom of 24.

Maths is essential for daily life, whether it’s comparing the price of two grocery brands, managing a small business, or budgeting for that next family holiday.

When we teach maths well, children and the nation benefit.

WA’s maths problem starts in primary school.

Maths is highly cumulative, so it is imperative that primary schools teach maths well and lay down strong foundations for future success.

We don’t have a minute to waste.

Primary schools only have about 200 hours of class time a year to devote to maths, not including time out for excursions, school camps or sickness.

During this time, your child needs to progress all the way from learning how to count to confidently adding fractions — knowledge that has taken humans millennia to distil.

But after seven years of primary school, more than 10,500 students in WA do not meet grade-level expectations in Year 7 numeracy, according to 2024 NAPLAN results.

And it’s worse for disadvantaged students: across Australia, Indigenous students, and students whose parents did not finish high school are twice as likely to not be proficient.

These students might struggle with adding and multiplying, or still be counting on their fingers to solve simple problems, while their classmates race ahead. This creates a gap that widens every school day.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Developments in cognitive science mean we know a lot about how humans — including children — can best learn maths.

What the evidence shows is:

• Your child shouldn’t waste lesson after lesson of precious learning time on “maths-lite” activities or games that entertain but don’t teach.
• Your child shouldn’t be left to “discover” maths concepts on their own — a frustrating experience that builds confusion, not confidence.
• Your child shouldn’t be asked to struggle with a maths problem, without having been taught the skills they need to complete it first.

Instead, research shows that:

• Your child should be taught maths systematically, with teachers following a careful sequence which builds students’ mathematical skills and knowledge bit-by-bit each year.
• Your child should be taught new maths content step-by-step, with teachers clearly explaining what to do, and devoting lots of time for practice as a class before expecting students to work on their own.
• Your child should master the basics — such as knowing their timetables or how to multiply two multi-digit numbers — until these things are second nature. With this knowledge in place, their mind will be free to focus on more challenging problems.

Whether your child gets taught this way shouldn’t be a lucky dip. It should be guaranteed, no matter where you live or the colour of your child’s school uniform.

Yet a new Grattan Institute survey of 1745 teachers and school leaders across Australia found that just 46 per cent of teachers say there is agreement in their school about how maths should be taught.

Only two-thirds say their school has mapped out what to teach in maths each term.

Even though most primary teachers are expected to teach maths, only one in four agreed that all students at their school are taught maths by teachers with strong subject knowledge.

This isn’t fair for students or teachers.

WA’s 900 primary schools will need significantly more support to turn this around.

Grattan’s research sets out a clear and affordable road map for improvement.

By following a comprehensive “maths guarantee” strategy, governments can transform the way maths is taught at school.

Step one is giving WA teachers and school leaders practical and consistent guidance on how to teach maths effectively, and supplying them with the teaching tools to do it — quality-assured curriculum materials and rigorously-tested assessments.

Currently there is very limited public information on WA’s recommended approach to maths instruction.

The WA Government should also dial up its investments in professional development.

Investing in high-quality micro-credentials on primary maths teaching, and setting up six maths hubs so that WA’s strongest schools can share best practice with others, will provide teachers and school leaders with the know-how and shoulder-to-shoulder support they need.

The benefits for our children are worth it.

Maths isn’t just another subject — it’s a powerful key that can unlock your child’s future. With strong maths skills, students are more likely to go to university, find secure jobs, and earn more.

Every child in WA deserves this chance for success, not just those lucky enough to find themselves in the right classroom.

Our children have one chance at primary school and they’re counting on us to get it right.