From tomorrow primary school children across the country will sit down to a "numeracy hour" lesson every day. Will this create real benefits for our children or just an increased workload for their teachers? Drew Kendell looks at one Bradford school where the scheme has been piloted.

ACCORDING TO those in the know, a new "numeracy hour" for all primary schools adds up to a good deal for pupils.

Although schools across the country are starting the programme tomorrow, several in Bradford have taken part in pilot schemes running over the past three years.

As part of the Government's push to raise classroom standards, the initiative ensures every pupil of primary school age will sit down to an hour of numeracy work during every school day - although this is usually less for younger children.

The bold concept - which has already been introduced for literacy - is designed to install a rigid structure to primary maths teaching.

Its supporters say it will bring a consistent, teacher-led programme across the board, helping to ensure pupils have the tools required for more complex maths in later life.

For critics, the initiative is just more red tape in an increasingly bureaucratic teaching timetable.

For the last year, children at Bradford's Low Ash First School have sat down to a daily numeracy session - and headteacher Vivian Kirby said the results are already evident.

"In my experience I have no doubt that these numeracy sessions benefit the children involved," she said.

The school's recent Ofsted report confirmed the benefits, said Mrs Kirby, who added the children worked hard and enjoyed the format.

"The lessons are teacher-led and concentrate on the language behind maths."

Mrs Kirby said it is vital pupils understand these basic concepts - terms such as "more and less than" and "full and empty" - before moving on to tackle more complex mathematical problems.

"In the reception classes this might be recognising and counting the numbers one to five where later this could be taking numbers from each other."

The structured nature of the lessons has also developed pupils' concentration, allowing them to take larger and larger slices of information, said the headteacher.

Mark Newman is headteacher of Denholme Primary School where the scheme gets its first airing tomorrow.

He said: "For the vast majority of schools, the material in the sessions is already being covered."

Mr Newman said three members of staff had been on a special course and this was followed by in-school training.

"I think that the sessions' emphasis on oral and mental work will be a benefit to pupils."

He said his children often received more than an hour of maths every day and they would continue to receive the level they required.

Mr Newman welcomed the scheme's introduction but warned elements of maths should not be removed from other subjects such as science.

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