£41m for ‘Asian-style’ maths lessons in England

£41m worth of funding is being made available to support more than 8,000 schools to adopt teaching practices from leading Asian countries.

The move follows a teacher exchange programme between England and Shanghai, which received positive feedback from teachers, who believed the Shanghai teachers’ visit led to positive outcomes for pupils.

The additional funding will facilitate a much larger role out of the South Asian ‘mastery’ approach to teaching mathematics, with an initial 700 teachers receiving training.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “We are seeing a renaissance in maths teaching in this country, with good ideas from around the world helping to enliven our classrooms.

“The significant expansion of the South Asian maths mastery approach can only add to the positive momentum, with thousands more young people having access to specialist teachers and quality textbooks.

“I am confident that the steps we are taking now will ensure young people are properly prepared for further study and the 21st-century workplace, and that the too often heard phrase ‘can’t do maths’ is consigned to the past.”