England's school staff to receive new maths teaching booklet

School staff in England are to be issued with a book advising them how to improve maths teaching.

The schools watchdog has announced that the documents are being sent to help boost GCSE results and improve pupils' engagement with the subject.

'Mathematics: understanding the score' booklets will be distributed by Ofsted to those in both primary and secondary teaching jobs and will contain examples of best practice and poor lessons.

Primary school staff will be advised to ensure that bright students are challenged more, while secondary teachers will be told that they currently focus too much on exam preparation.

Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert stated: "Mathematics has so much relevance to our everyday lives.

"We need to equip children to use it with confidence in and beyond the classroom."

The booklet has been published following a report by the watchdog that suggested maths teaching needs to improve.

A new target for 80,000 young people to be taking A-level maths by 2014 was announced by the prime minister at Oxford University last weekend.

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