- By Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister and MP for Botany
We recently held the first National Party annual general meeting since forming the Government last year, marking my first AGM as Prime Minister.
It was a privilege to attend alongside our Botany team and dedicated party members.
At the conference we shared some shocking news on maths results in this country.
New data shows that last year, just 22 per cent of year 8 students were at the expected curriculum level for maths.
Incredibly, three in five are more than a year behind.
That means last year, around 50,000 children in year 8 did not meet the expected curriculum benchmark for maths.
I am appalled. This is a total system failure, and Kiwi kids deserve better.
For every child walking into school, backpack on, ready to take on the world, my message is simple.
I cannot change the choices you make, or the home you were born into, but I will move heaven and earth to give you the best possible start in life with an outstanding education.
We’re launching the Make It Count maths action plan, to take effect from term one next year.
We’re accelerating the shift to a new structured maths curriculum for year 1-8 students, rolling it out a year earlier than planned.
From term one next year, children will be learning maths based on a new world-leading, knowledge-rich curriculum similar in countries like Singapore and Australia.
Every school will be getting top-quality resources to support teachers with this change, giving parents the confidence that their child will succeed.
We also need to ensure our teachers have the confidence to teach kids maths. That’s why we’re making $20 million available for professional development in structured maths.
We’re lifting the standard for new teachers, too. Anyone wanting to train as a teacher will need at least NCEA level two maths.
Finally, we’re making sure kids that need help get the support they need. There will be small group interventions for students who have fallen behind significantly, informed by twice-yearly standardised assessments for maths from 2025.
We’ve already required an hour a day each for maths, reading, and writing in schools, banned cell phones from classrooms, and are rolling out structured literacy to improve achievement.
