In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, I speak with Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson, co-authors of the Grattan Institute’s Maths Guarantee report. We unpack what they describe as Australia’s “national problem” with maths underperformance — from the equity gaps to the urgent need for high-quality curriculum materials and teacher support.
Amy and Nick share key findings from their research, including a national teacher survey and international case studies, as well as practical insights from some of Australia’s most effective schools. We dive deep into what explicit instruction really looks like, the power of fluency, and how the instructional hierarchy can help teachers better sequence their maths lessons.
Whether you're a school leader, instructional coach, or passionate teacher, this conversation will leave you with clarity, evidence, and next steps to improve maths teaching in your school.
Resources mentioned:
- The Maths Guarantee (Grattan Institute report)
- The Maths Guarantee: A guide for principals (Grattan Institute)
- Teach Like a Champion – Doug Lemov
- Teaching Primary Mathematics – George Booker
- Eddie Wu
- Craig Barton
- Ochre Education
- PR1ME International
- EAST materials
- Maths Olympiad
- Times Tables Rock Stars
- James Dobson - From Research to Reality: A Primary Maths Resource Toolkit
The schools they visited for case studies were:
- Wattle Grove Primary, a government school in suburban Perth
- Bentleigh West Primary, a government school in suburban Melbourne
- Ballarat Clarendon College, an independent school in regional Victoria
- St Bernard’s Primary, a Catholic school in Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast
- Charlestown South Public, a government school in Newcastle, NSW
- The Entrance Public, a government school on the NSW central coast
- Budgewoi Public, a government school also on the NSW central coast
The final three schools are part of the Explicit and Systematic Teaching (EAST) network, a grassroots network which exists to champion explicit teaching in NSW government schools
You can connect with Amy:
Twitter/X: @Amy_L_Haywood
You can connect with Nick:
Twitter/X: @NickJParkinson
You can connect with Brendan:
Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee
Facebook: @learningwithmrlee
Website: learnwithlee.net
About
Amy Haywood
Amy Haywood is the Deputy Program Director of Grattan’s Education Program. Amy has a background as an educator and brings this practical experience to her work as an education policy researcher. She is the co-author of several Grattan reports, including Ending the lesson lottery: How to improve curriculum planning in schools,
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