Rebalancing the curriculum: why Maths Horizons is arguing that sequencing curriculum content is key to richer problem-solving experiences for all

Maths Horizons has identified four areas of change that we believe will support the goal of a richer maths curriculum with problem solving at its heart. 

Suggested changes
Curriculum	1	Rebalance content from upper primary to lower secondary, allowing more time for knowledge to be secure and flexible, including opportunities for problem solving and reasoning for all students
	2	Greater specificity and coherence within the programme of study about the mathematical meaning and purpose of what students are taught
	3	Make problem solving and reasoning accessible to all by identifying the mathematical content from prior years required to solve problems in a variety of contexts
Assessment	4	Incentivise the teaching of problem solving and reasoning by increasing the proportion of marks allocated to problem solving and reasoning in key stage 2 SATs and GCSEs.

Rebalance content from upper primary to lower secondary, allowing more time for knowledge to be secure and flexible, including opportunities for problem solving and reasoning for all students

A widespread belief among teachers is that the National Curriculum for maths includes too much content; that England has a “crowded curriculum”. Polling for the Maths Horizons report found that 82% of primary teachers believe that “the primary maths curriculum has too much content”. A consequence of this is that topics are rushed through and content coverage is prioritised over conceptual depth, coherence and connection between ideas.

Yet the reality is that the National Curriculum for maths is comparable, in total content and taught hours, with high-performing countries. A TIMSS 2015 comparison of taught hours across primary and secondary, put England at around the average of OECD countries and remarkably similar to Singapore. So, the issue is unlikely to be that there is “too much maths to cover” but rather stems from the way in which the curriculum is sequenced and revisited.

Curriculum mapping reveals that much of the Key Stage 2 content is repeated in Key Stage 3. Examples include: identifying prime or square numbers from a list; working out the percentage of a large rectangle that is shaded; and calculating with fractions. The Education Endowment Foundation also notes that a lot of Key Stage 3 teaching focuses on revisiting content from earlier years, often because students have insecure knowledge of it. This can have negative consequences on pupils’ experiences of learning maths in two contrasting but related ways; some pupils struggle through upper Key Stage 2 and lack confidence in their own abilities, while others stagnate through Key Stage 3 revisiting already-secure knowledge and switching off maths.  

Rebalancing not removing content

We believe that the right solution is not to remove content and risk narrowing the curriculum, but instead to rebalance elements from upper primary to lower secondary. 

Resequencing the curriculum in this way would enable more pupils to develop a secure and flexible understanding of mathematics, where ideas are meaningfully connected and progressively built over time. It would also change for the better how teachers use their classroom time. After new content is introduced, more time could be spent developing and deepening students’ knowledge and ensuring that it is secure. Across the whole curriculum, the net effect would be to “create more time” for learning, because teachers, particularly in Key Stage 3, would not have to waste so much time reteaching content.

Making space for problem solving and reasoning

Investing more time in building secure foundations during Key Stages 1 and 2 would lead to greater depth and security of knowledge. Pupils would develop stronger fluency and a more connected understanding of mathematics, enabling them to apply what they know flexibly and confidently in a range of contexts. This would reduce the need for extensive revision and reteaching later, and lessen the sense that some pupils plateau through Key Stage 3. Instead, through all key stages, knowledge could be practised, applied and extended, including through mathematical reasoning and problem-solving activities. 

Despite widespread agreement about the importance of problem solving, it is also agreed that currently pupils do too little of it. Remedying this requires not only that space be made for all pupils to experience problem-solving activities throughout their mathematics educations, but also for pupils to have secure and flexible knowledge and the confidence to apply it in routine and non-routine situations. Rebalancing the curriculum content is a key part of achieving both these goals.  

Maths Horizons is an independent programme drawing on an extensive evidence base to inform and support system change in maths education.