What do young children know about number and what should they know?

Abstract

After a brief outline of structure of the early years sector in England, and of the guidance which relates to curriculum and teaching methods in mathematics for children aged 4-6, the article reports on some results of the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme, a longitudinal programme at King’s College London, which inform us about the attainment in specific number areas of 5 to 6 year-old children. A key finding relates to the wide range of attainment, with some children’s results comparing well with those of much older children on the same questions.