What do this year’s KS2 SATs results really tell us about primary maths—and what might they be hiding?

Jon and Becky examine the newly released national data, including the rise in maths attainment, the return of greater-depth results to pre-pandemic levels and the growing number of pupils working below the level of the tests. They discuss why a single score can never tell the whole story, why missing the expected standard does not mean a child “can’t do maths”, and whether the improving headline figures may be masking a widening gap between different groups of pupils.

They also explore new research into pupils’ use of AI for mathematical word problems. Homework accuracy increased and answers were completed in seconds—but performance fell when pupils had to work independently under supervision. Are pupils using AI as a helpful learning tool, or simply outsourcing the thinking that helps learning happen?

Read Jon’s blog on using AI tools to support maths learning:

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/ecwcw

Explore the newly updated PlanIt Maths scheme:

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/ndlp8