The Teaching Effective Early Maths and Understanding in Primary (TEEMUP) schools’ study is a novel intervention aimed at teachers to uplift their skills in both maths content and pedagogy, as well as behaviour for learning to improve children’s outcomes, especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. It is novel because it is unlike most of the highly scripted interventions normally associated with an RCT. We will outline the rationale for the design of the study and focus on the content and delivery findings of the intervention using data based on perceptions of teachers and mentors (child level assessment data will be reported later in 2024). The study used the extant research literature on both effective professional development techniques, and the maths and child development knowledge, most relevant to effective understanding of both how and what early mathematics is and how best to teach it to young children. Lessons have been learnt about devising interventions, delivery methods and both adult and child learning.

Professor Iram Siraj is Professor of Child Development and Education, Department of Education, University of Oxford. She has led a number of world first studies and has in the last 2 decades been exploring the impact of, and relationship between: quality, pedagogy and curriculum content on teacher and classroom quality and child outcomes across a range of cognitive, social and physical domains of early child development. She is the PI on the TEEMUP study.

Dr Denise Kingston is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Education, University of Oxford. She is a specialist in children’s development, socialisation and inclusion, with a background in educational psychology. Her current interests and research focus on effective professional development and early childhood pedagogy and practice, including early mathematics. She is the project manager and a co-investigator on the TEEMUP study.