A History of Mathematics Education in England

It is possibly still too early to attempt to chronicle and disentangle the various movements that have taken place in mathematics education since i960. Even if the time were ripe, then it would be impossible to present a detailed, critical account without effectively embarking on the writing of a separate book. Yet to end our story in i960 would be unfortunate in two respects. First it would leave many important changes unreported and unreferenced. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it would not illuminate the way in which so many of the changes of the last two decades grew out of, and were consequences of, beliefs, actions and decisions which have been alluded to in the story of mathematics education prior to 1960. For that reason, I have chosen to end this book with a brief overview of trends in the post-1960 era.

What were the most significant events of these times? If the question had been asked in 1965, then the reply would almost certainly have been the formation of the large ‘modern mathematics’ projects such as the School Mathematics Project (SMP) and that of the Nuffield Foundation concerned with the age range five to thirteen. These projects brought a new, more open approach to curriculum development and the stress they laid on corporate involvement was an important factor leading to the establishment of a more widely-based ‘mathematics teaching community’.