Funding for the government’s widely lauded maths hubs scheme will fall by 20 per cent next year, with one trust saying its budget has been slashed by a third.
Leaders say the funding fall could result in redundancies and less support for teachers.
However, the government says the change is not a cut.
This year, funding for the scheme was boosted by £7 million to “expand teaching for mastery approaches” as part of the Conservative government’s plans for an Advanced British Standard (ABS) qualification.
Those plans have been axed with the budget for September now set at £29 million – 20 per cent less. The government has said this is “consistent with previous years”.
Funding was £26 million in 2022-23, and £32 million in 2023-24.
A DfE spokesperson said: “While funding remains consistent with previous years, we are prioritising supporting schools with the biggest challenges, as well as ensuring value for money for taxpayers through more efficient delivery models.”
A spokesperson for the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), which coordinates the hubs, also said there would be “no reduction in what’s available to schools, and no significant change to how professional development is delivered through maths hubs.”
Funding ‘reduced by about one third’
Schools Week understands that no school will be turned away from participating in the scheme.
Launched in 2014, the national network of 40 hubs is led locally by an “outstanding” school or college to share best practice and boost maths education for teachers and pupils.
Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form in Norwich, part of the Inspiration Trust, leads one hub.
Gareth Stevens, its chief executive, said funding would be “reduced by about one third” from £1 million to about £650,000.
There would be less on offer as a result. “That’s the bottom line. If you’re cutting something by a third, the offer is going to be reduced.”
He described the move as “somewhat perplexing”, and “counter to what the government is trying to achieve, which is elevating standards”.
“The evidence shows that [the maths hub scheme] works,” he said. “There is a real worry that it will die through a thousands cuts if this continues.”
‘Fewer CPD sessions’
Another leader said the cut would lead to “fewer CPD sessions and fewer work groups”.
Stevens said schools with significantly reduced funding could be forced to make redundancies – itself a costly process they could find “challenging”.
Another trust chief executive said the situation was unclear, but it “did not appear the changes to funding would substantially change…what we’re able to offer”.
Maths hubs have been credited with boosting the understanding and uptake of maths. As of August last year they had worked with more than 85 per cent of schools.
One senior leader, whose funding will be reduced, described it as “disappointing”, but said it was a “wake-up call” that the sector must “show the impact of government funding”.
“I’m not convinced that the maths hubs have done a good enough job demonstrating impact and so have been left vulnerable and open to cuts.”
Despite £220 million spent on the scheme since 2014, there has been no independent evaluation of its effectiveness other than a report detailing how many schools it has reached.
A DfE spokesperson said the government was “committed to ensuring every child, regardless of background, has a strong foundation in maths so they are able to thrive in the modern economy”.
Maths hubs would continue to support schools to provide teacher professional development, “spanning all phases from early years to post-16, driving up standards in maths teaching.”
Labour has scrapped computing and science hubs and scaled back languages hubs.
I’m sure the NCETM team haven’t been cut. There will still be many of them in a room to facilitate experienced workgroup leads help new ones with their expertise and knowledge. Gone are the days when, I (as a work group lead) felt I was getting any PD too. We’re just there to do their job now whilst they sit and watch.