The decision was based on new achievement data from the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (CIPS) which showed just 22% of Year 8 students in New Zealand had reached the benchmark for mathematics.
We want every child in the Whanganui electorate, from Fordell School in the south to to Midhurst at the northern boundary, to have an education that gives them the best chance of success in life.
When data from the 2023 Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (CIPS) showed that only 22% of Year 8 students were at or above curriculum level for mathematics and that 63% of children were more than a year behind, the Government decided that a major intervention was required.
At the recent National Party Annual Conference, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford launched “Make it Count”, a maths action plan with three key areas of focus to turn around our declining maths achievement.
Whanganui MP Carl Bates with some fellow National MPs heading into the debating chamber at Parliament last week.
Stanford told the conference: “In line with our shift to structured literacy to change the way kids learn to read and write, we will bring forward the rollout of a new structured maths curriculum for year 0-8 students a year earlier than planned. It’s about getting the focus of our curriculum back to the basics.”
What that means for parents is that from Term 1 next year, children will be learning maths based on a new world-leading, knowledge-rich maths curriculum based on the best from across the OECD like Singapore and Australia, adapted for New Zealand.
As a parent, this is music to my ears, because my own children and their peers will benefit hugely from Make it Count.
We’re not just investing in our students though, as $20 million will be invested to provide training in structured mathematics to our teaching workforce to support the curriculum rollout.
My belief that education is key to the future of our children and of New Zealand is unrelenting and I am proud to be part of a government that is determined to improve educational outcomes for our tamariki.
Whether they attend the smallest rural school in Stratford or South Taranaki or a large school in a city centre, every child in New Zealand deserves the opportunity to receive a world-class education.
