Week 3 NEWSLETTER

from the principal

Our Vision: Together we Nurture, Explore and Create for a Better Future

A new week, and a new announcement about change in education…this time in Maths. The change in the maths curriculum has been brought forward to the beginning of next year. The most obvious change is that all schools will be asked to teach ‘structured maths’, and that children will be learning out of workbooks. There are two major issues in the announcement that have been misleading:

There is no such thing as ‘Structured Maths’ - it simply doesn’t exist. The term has been coined to align with Structured Literacy (like our BSLA program), but the term has no basis in the research, and the proposal to use workbooks for children to learn from also isn’t evidence based. This article captures it all nicely.
The data presented to justify the rapid change to teaching is also very misleading. The Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (CIPS) data showed that only 20% of Year 3 children nationally were working at or above where they should be, 28% of Year 6’s and 22% of Year 8’s. On the surface this data is pretty confronting…but two things refute it. Firstly, it is based on an assessment given last year to just 42 schools (out of 2000) to around 900 children (out of 460,000) on a curriculum that hasn’t been released to teachers (and therefore has not been taught) and is based on benchmarks that are higher than current expectations. Hardly a surprise that the data then appears to be low. Secondly, the same study notes that achievement levels haven’t actually changed. The same study (different name…NMSSA) from 2022 shows 82% of Year 4 children at/above, and 45% of Year 8 students. This data still shows that the sector has work to do…we need to improve outcomes, but it also shows that it isn’t all doom and gloom.

Now, no matter how you cut the data, it is clear that we have declining achievement from Year 4 to Year 8, but this isn't quite the crisis that has been made out, and I do not believe the approach that has been suggested (structured maths) is the right one. But, there is work to be done for sure.

While it may feel like we are walking on ice…unsure of what change is coming next…the guiding strength we have is our Vision. Working with each other, knowing our children, bringing out their best, allowing for their passions to be kindled, allowing for a wide range of opportunities for them to discover passions they didn’t know they had, empowering them as Creators, people that can effect change, doing it all with a focus of making a positive change to the world around them…all alongside the strong, academic teaching we provide…that important foundational knowledge and understanding. When we stick to this, we are going to have Year 6’s leave us capable and confident academically, and also prepared as future citizens.

I guess it is also worth noting that at DPS we see maths as a strength. Now I have no way of knowing how we stack up against the new benchmarks as they are still unreleased, but below is a screengrab of our PAT Maths data from the end of 2023 (we are the blue boxes, and the grey ones behind are the national norms). You can see that DPS does well…in fact we are above the national norms in all 4 of those year levels, and our tail is higher again than the national picture. What is most heartening about this is (and forgive me if this is a bit technical) this data is referenced against the year higher (eg our Year 3’s are being marked against the Year 4 norms). So even though they are Year 3…they are closer in age to the Year 4 norms (PAT tests are normed in Term 1). Essentially…they are being marked harder, and have had a term less teaching…this is great stuff by our staff and children!

At this stage it is hard to know how this new announcement will impact us here at DPS, but I know one thing that I will be protecting…and that is our ongoing focus on developing Creativity in our children. This presents in many ways in our Maths program, but most obviously in the children’s belief about themselves. A new staff member to school this year can’t believe how much the children love maths here at DPS, and also their belief that they are mathematicians…even those that find maths a struggle. Study after study shows the power of self-efficacy…if you believe you ‘don’t have a maths brain’, maths will be a challenge. However, if you believe you can give maths a go, and believe that failure is a stepstone to further learning…then maths is something that you will progress in. Keeping this belief, this growth mindset alive is vital.

Well Done Maddie

Speaking of Creativity…check this out. Maddie came to share this ship in a bottle she had made (a double hulled waka…waka hourua). She shared with me two failures she had along the way, and how getting it in (with the waves) was a real challenge that she had to persevere through. Kōwhai are learning about Voyagers, and where people/things have come from…and this is a great example of how our play learning ties so nicely into formal academic inquiry learning…all wrapped up in promoting children being Creative. Great stuff Maddie, this made my day!

Non-Uniform Day - Tomorrow!

Remember that we have a non-uniform day tomorrow to support the local food bank. Times are tough for many families out there, things are tight. The local food bank is busier than ever…and this is a great way that we (and all the other local schools) can support them in their efforts.

And…just a reminder about why we call them non-uniform days.