Government should establish diagnostic maths tests in year 8 and embed numeracy in new technical pathways, a House of Lords report has said. The numeracy for life committee’s report also called for a “national year of numeracy”, a maths equivalent to the current celebration of reading. England is placed tenth for maths in the latest international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The country was 27th in 2009. But the report warned improvements were driven by high achievers, while low achievers “become caught in a spiral of resits”. Only around a fifth of 16 to 19 year olds who resit GCSE maths achieve a grade 4. Lord Agnew, a former education minister who chairs the committee, said: “Whilst there is much to celebrate with the improvement in maths attainment in schools and progress made in adult numeracy, the reality is that over eight million adults still have numeracy skills below those expected of a nine-year-old and children from areas of high deprivation are still more likely to struggle with maths in school. “Our report calls for the intergenerational cycle of poor numeracy to be broken through an increased focus on early years numeracy, the recruitment of maths specialists in schools and more focus and work on supporting and signposting adults to access work and community learning opportunities.” Here are the key recommendations for schools: 1. Support for year 8 maths test The government should pilot a “routine, diagnostic assessment in year 8” and “evaluate whether it leads to effective targeted support before pupils begin GCSE courses”. They should also work with schools to embed numeracy across the curriculum, and support them to identify knowledge gaps early, particularly in number fluency at key Stages 1 and 2, and in the transition to secondary school. The introduction of diagnostic maths tests was also recommended by last years’ curriculum and assessment review. But the government stopped short of accepting the recommendation, instead pledging an expectation that all schools assess pupil progress in maths in year 8. 2. Give schools dyscalculia training School staff should receive pre- and in service training on dyscalculia – a learning disorder that affects someone’s ability to learn and process numbers. This would allow pupils with the condition to receive early intervention and targeted support, given the “low rates of awareness among educators”. Recent research, provided for the committee by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, found that dyscalculia affects around 6 per cent of the population, but remains “under-recognised and under-diagnosed”. 3. Embed numeracy in new technical routes This summer the government announced plans for new technical pathways for 14–16-year-olds, and later announced that new vocational GCSEs would replace technical awards. These proposals were announced while the committee was taking evidence. The report recommended that these pathways should include plans for specialist teacher recruitment, professional development and employer engagement, so numeracy is embedded in technical education. 4. Keep investing in specialist maths teachers The report called for sustained investment in recruiting specialist maths teachers, as well as support for non-specialist teachers who teach maths or any subject that involves numeracy. It also recommended continued investment in maths hubs and the National Centre of Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). 5. Financial literacy should improve numeracy Wider curriculum reforms, particularly in financial education and data literacy, should also improve students’ knowledge and understanding of numeracy. The report added that the new curriculum “must ensure a proper focus on building familiarly with basic number skills as a precursor to more advanced mathematical concepts”. 6. Evaluate AI maths tools The government should identify which AI-enabled maths tutoring tools best support mathematical reasoning, the report added. They should also explore what safeguards are needed to prevent pupils from relying too much on answers that have been generated by technology. 7. Tie numeracy into ‘school readiness’ School readiness guidance should be updated to include specific numeracy milestones, such as being able to count to ten or understanding spatial concepts like “up” and “down”. The government should continue to fund more early years practitioners to attend early maths leadership models, including the “maths champions” programme. 8. Pass on info to FE colleges Schools should also be encouraged to pass on information about students’ strengths and weaknesses in maths to FE colleges and other post-16 providers. The report also made several recommendations for post-16 providers, including on giving them sufficient funding and specialist teaching capacity for GCSE resits and publishing a post-16 maths and numeracy framework to ensure students are on the right progression route into apprenticeships.