Up to £59.3m to continue maths hubs programme

The Department for Education has announced funding of up to £59.3 million to drive up the quality of maths teaching in schools.

The funding will support the continuation of the maths hubs programme through to the end of the next academic year. The flagship programme which started in 2014 aims to reach 11,000 primary and secondary schools by 2023 and 40 hubs across England are now helping schools to improve their teaching quality. 

What's more, the first ever set of times tables national data, has been released and shows an average score of 20 out of 25, with full marks the most common score. It follows a new multiplication tables check sat by year 4 children across the country over the summer.

The check includes 25 times tables questions, up to 12 x 12, with pupils having a maximum of 6 seconds to answer each one. It helps schools determine whether pupils can recall their times tables fluently - an essential skill for future success in the subject and day-to-day life. The multiplication tables check is the first statutory assessment students complete online, either on a PC or tablet.

Schools Minister, Nick Gibb said: "The additional funding for maths hubs announced today is also crucial, as we continue raising the standard of maths teaching across the country and driving towards our target for 90% of children leaving primary school with the expected standard in Mathematics and English by 2030."