Children will be taught practical maths using football league tables, cookery recipes and holiday exchange rates under plans by Labour.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson wants young kids to learn numeracy through "real world" teaching to prepare them better for secondary school and adult life. Primary school teachers who don't specialise in maths will be given extra training to set pupils up with basic, practical maths skills under the blueprint.
In a speech to the party's annual conference, the Labour schools chief confirmed plans to shake up Rishi Sunak's push for all pupils to learn some form of maths to 18 by shifting the focus to primary school children. The expert review commissioned by the Prime Minister would deal with primary maths as a first priority and investigate the maths equivalent to phonics.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson pledged to overhaul maths teaching in schools (Getty Images)Ms Phillipson said: "The Prime Minister talks about extending maths to 18. But if young people hate maths at 16, it’s just too late. These problems need to be tackled early, not left to fester."
She said it was a "disaster" that one in four children leave primary school without the maths they need. "Maths is the language of the universe, the underpinning of our collective understanding," she said. "It cannot be left until the last years of school. I am determined that Labour will bring maths to life for the next generation.
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"Better training for teachers to teach, with confidence and success. Better standards for our children, so they’re set up to succeed. Because be it budgeting or cooking, exchange rates or payslips, maths matters for success."
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Ms Phillipson, who grew up in a council house in Washington, Tyne and Wear, and received free school meals as a child, said for too many children "their backgrounds are ravaging their opportunities, all their lives long". She added: "I tell you, it breaks my heart." She said she would change the education system from top to bottom to ensure it works for all kids.
She hit back at critics of Labour's plans to axe tax breaks enjoyed by private schools. Referencing a report in June suggesting officials at the Independent Schools Council (ISC) had described her as "very chippy" in private messages, she said: "Chippy people make the change that matters".
Ms Phillipson also announced that Sir David Bell, the former Chief Inspector of Ofsted, and the former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education, will lead a review in Labour's childcare plans. The party is drawing up a blueprint for the widening of childcare eligibility.
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the "sensible" plans to look at practical maths but said standards were already high.
“Any interventions should seek to support schools in building on the good work that is already being done, rather than looking to overhaul it and start again from scratch.," he said. "Ensuring that primary schools have the funding for the resources they need, and that primary teachers have the time and capacity to develop their maths expertise, is vital to improving attainment."
Paul Whiteman, NAHT General Secretary, said: "We welcome a renewed focus on ‘real-life maths’. As leaders and teachers know, it’s vital that maths feels relevant and meaningful to children. While this is already a feature of the maths curriculum in many primary schools, we look forward to discussing how this could be developed further."
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