Our Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 theme covers approaches that help young children build secure understanding in number and quantity, comparisons and connections (including pattern and early measure), problem‑solving, and the intentional use of mathematical language, across adult‑led and child‑initiated contexts.
Children’s early mathematical understanding is strongly associated with later attainment. Yet gaps in early maths outcomes between children from socio‑economically disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers emerge early and can persist. Supporting settings with practical, evidence‑informed approaches to early maths is central to the EEF’s mission.
Across multiple reviews, there is strong evidence that well‑designed early maths approaches can improve outcomes. The Early Years Toolkit indicates average gains of around seven months’ additional progress for early numeracy approaches. Combining approaches (for example, explicit teaching with guided play and routine‑based practice) can be beneficial.
The Early Years Evidence Store groups early maths into five approaches:
- Teaching the association between number and quantity;
- Promoting fluency with numbers and sequences;
- Teaching problem‑solving skills for maths;
- Teaching/modelling comparisons and connections (including early pattern/measure);
- Facilitating mathematical language. Typical practices include modelling and narration, questioning, making links, choral response, and repetition, delivered across adult‑led and child‑led opportunities.
- Early Years Evidence Store (our key practitioner-facing resource): the Early Years Evidence Store includes a dedicated Early Mathematics page. It presents synthesised evidence across five key approaches (as outlined above). Each approach is illustrated with typical practices like modelling, questioning, making links, and repetitions across both adult-led and child-initiated contexts.
- Guidance report: the EEF’s guidance report, Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1, offers five practical recommendations to support the teaching of mathematics for children aged three to seven. It focuses on practitioner knowledge, dedicated time for maths, the use of manipulativesobjects that educators and children can move and interact with to represent mathematical ideas (including fingers, everyday objects, such as buttons or pine cones, and mathematical resources such as Numicon, Cuisenaire rods). and representations, building on what children already know, and targeted support.
- Rapid Evidence Review: in 2020, the EEF published the evidence review, Early Years and Key Stage 1 Mathematics Teaching: Evidence Review. The review informed both the guidance report and the Early Years Evidence Store. It summarises evidence on approaches to early maths teaching, including whole-curriculum approaches, explicit teaching, play, educational technology, targeted support, and professional development.
- Early Years Toolkit: the early numeracy approaches strand summarises typical impact, cost and evidence strength. It indicates that early numeracy approaches are associated with average gains of around seven months’ additional progress.
- Promising Programmes: the EEF’s catalogue of programmes that have shown promise for raising attainment includes mathematics programmes across the early years and Key Stage 1, including Maths Champions, Counting Collections, Reception Jigsaw, Mathematical Reasoning, 1stClass@Number 1, and Mathematics Mastery Primary.
- Scale-up projects: Maths Champions, delivered by the National Day Nurseries Association, has shown evidence of positive impact through two EEF trials, with further scale-up evaluation under way. The Department for Education is funding a wider roll-out through the EEF, and Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs are supporting recruitment to the programme. Places are available until June 2026 for settings to receive the programme at no cost. From April 2026 the Department for Education is funding further scale-up with 5,000 fully subsidised places available.
In Spring 2022 and Autumn 2022, the EEF commissioned two funding rounds on Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1. The priority areas were:
- Number concepts
- Geometry and spatial thinking
- Mathematical talk and vocabulary
- Metacognition and self‑regulation in maths
Across the two rounds, we commissioned two pilots and four trials: SPACE, Maths Through Picture Books, Counting Collections, The ONE Programme, Concept Cat, and 1stClass@Number1.
We’ve also commissioned 14 early-stage programme development projects since Spring 2022.
The projects spanned all four priority areas, with stronger activity in number concepts and whole‑setting professional development, and comparatively lighter coverage in geometry/spatial, particularly at pre‑Reception (ages 2 – 4). These patterns, alongside an identified gap at ages 2 – 3, inform our current focus on pre‑Reception mathematics.
The following three early maths programmes have been identified as Promising Programmes, whereby children receiving the programme made additional months’ progress in maths compared to children that did not receive the programme.
- Maths Champions: +3 months
- Reception Jigsaw: +1 month
- Concept Cat: +2 months
- Counting Collections: +1 month overall (0 months for children eligible for free school meals).
These findings, alongside the wider early-stage development work, have informed the RA9 Pre-Reception Maths funding round, which was launched in Spring 2026. RA9 focuses on programmes for 2‑to-4-year-olds, including those working in nurseries, private, voluntary, and independent settings, and childminders. It prioritised number concepts, geometry, spatial thinking, and measurement. Mathematical language and metacognitive routines are also important where they are integrated into early maths practice.
Completed trials and pilot studies
| Priority area | Highest-level EEF project | Project | Delivery team | Year groups | Level of intervention | Description | Headline results | Beyond the headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Effectiveness | Maths Champions | National Day Nurseries Association | Nursery | Whole class | One-year professional development programme for nursery practitioners. One practitioner is trained to support maths teaching in their setting. Online training and tailored remote support. | +3 months 5 padlocks Efficacy trial: +2 months 2 padlocks | Meets EEF scale‑up criteria and is being backed through the Department for Education’s early years strategy (~1,800 settings in AY2025/2026); evidence points to longitudinal impact on Early Years Foundation Stage Profile outcomes. Likely to become close to business‑as‑usual in many areas. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Efficacy | Reception Jigsaw | White Rose Education | Reception | Whole class | One year professional development programme for Reception staff, to improve mathematics teaching quality and outcomes. Twilights and in-school coaching sessions. | +1 months 4 padlocks | Now in an effectiveness trial (the report is due in Summer 2027). Overlaps with Mastering Number at Reception but is more intensive and personalised, with bespoke in‑school coaching, tailored visits, and training that includes teachers and teaching assistants, so may suit settings needing deeper Reception curriculum support. |
| Early Years/KS1 Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary, broader approaches to support self-regulation.) | Efficacy | Teaching Effective Early Mathematical Understanding in Primary Schools (TEEM UP) | University of Oxford | Reception, Year 1 | Whole class | A 16-month professional development programme to support staff in Reception and Year 1 with developing children’s mathematical understanding. | +1 month 4 padlocks | Children made, on average, one month’s additional progress in maths, with free school meal pupils showing two months (less secure), and secondary analyses indicating 2 – 5 months’ gains in self‑regulation at the end of Reception. Teachers reported increased confidence and practice change; workshop attendance and delivery were constrained by COVID-19‑related disruption. |
| Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary | Efficacy | Counting Collections | University of Nottingham | Reception | Whole class | Counting Collections is a structured early numeracy approach that involves structured collaborative counting and recording sessions. Weekly sessions throughout the year. | +1 months 3 padlocks | Pupils made one month’s additional progress in number overall, with no additional progress for free school meals pupils; sensitivity analyses suggest findings are robust despite pupil‑level attrition. Teachers noted higher confidence and richer maths talk and engagement; the four‑part routine was feasible but often required extra teaching assistant support for lower‑attaining children. |
| Number Concepts, Geometry and Spatial Thinking (evaluated at KS1) | Efficacy | onebillion: app-based maths learning | University of Nottingham | 3 – 6‑year-olds (trialled with Year 1) | Targeted | The onebillion programme consists of two tablet apps, Maths 3 – 5 and Maths 4 – 6, that are designed to reinforce basic mathematical skills learned in the classroom. | +3 months 5 padlocks -2 months FSM | Targeted Year 1 pupils gained three months on average, but free school meal pupils made two months less progress than peers, signalling equity risks without adaptation. Delivery relied on teaching assistants supervising app use with minimal pedagogy; process data showed variability in teaching assistant role and implementation that may have influenced outcomes. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Metacognition and Self-regulation in Maths) | Efficacy | The Orchestrating Numeracy and the Executive (ONE) Programme | University of Oxford | Pre-Reception | Whole class | 12-week intervention. Short play-based activities that are embedded into usual activities, aiming to improve executive function and numeracy skills. | +0 months 4 padlocks +2 months EYPP subgroup | No impact was found on executive function outcomes, while tentatively positive findings were found in maths for pupils eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium. The training and support was well received and led to changes in practitioners’ understanding of the importance of executive function to mathematical attainment. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Conceptual vocabulary and mathematical talk) | Concept Cat | Concept Cat – trial | EEF | Better Communication CIC | 3 – 4 years | Whole class | A programme designed to help three-to-four-year-old children develop early conceptual vocabulary – words like first, wide, and empty. These words are important for understanding concepts linked to the maths and science curricula, and the programme aims to support better outcomes by Key Stage 1. | +2 months 3 padlocks +3 months EYPP. | Children made two months’ additional progress in conceptual vocabulary overall, with a larger, less secure estimate for children eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium. The findings suggest promise for structured vocabulary teaching in early years settings, but interpretation should consider implementation variation and the need to understand whether gains are sustained into Key Stage 1. |
| Number Concepts, Geometry and Spatial Thinking, Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary, Metacognition and Self‑regulation in Maths | Pilot | Early Years Toolbox | NIESR | 3 – 4‑year-olds | Targeted | The Early Years Toolbox is a suite of iPad-based assessments suitable for use with young children by early years settings. It includes eight short, engaging and game-like assessment apps and professional development for setting staff. | Pilot completed but not taken forward for efficacy trial. | The Early Years Toolbox was deemed to be feasible to implement but there were possible improvements that could make it more suitable to be taken forward to an efficacy trial. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Pilot | Early Number with Numicon – pilot | EEF | Oxford University Press | 3 – 4‑year-olds | Whole class | Training and manipulatives for practitioners to develop their confidence in delivering high-quality, impactful numeracy sessions focusing on early pattern and number. | Pilot completed Under consideration to be taken forward. | The pilot found the programme feasible and acceptable, with medium to high fidelity and strong practitioner engagement. Practitioners reported improved knowledge, confidence, and positive effects on children’s early numeracy. The evaluator considered it ready for an efficacy trial with minor refinements, including stronger fidelity monitoring and clearer business-as-usual comparison. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts, Geometry and Spatial Thinking, and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Pilot | Maths Through Picture Books | East London Research School | Reception | Targeted | Ten-week targeted small-group intervention that uses focused conversations around picture books to improve numeracy skills and confidence. | Pilot completed Taken forward for Efficacy Trial | The pilot found the programme feasible, largely delivered with fidelity, and scalable for a trial. Teachers and teaching assistants reported improved confidence and understanding of how children learn number, alongside perceived increases in children’s motivation, enjoyment, and mathematical talk. The evaluator judged the programme ready for an efficacy trial, with further attention needed to teaching assistant support, pupil selection, and outcome measurement. |
Completed early-stage programme development projects
Trials and pilot studies in progress
| Priority area | Highest-level EEF project | Project | Delivery team | Year groups | Level of intervention | Description | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Effectiveness | Reception Jigsaw | White Rose Education | Reception | Whole class | One-year professional development programme for Reception staff, to improve mathematics teaching quality and outcomes. Twilights and in-school coaching sessions. | The report will be published in Summer 2027. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Effectiveness | Mastering Number at Reception and KS1 (Reception focus) | NCETM | Reception | Whole class | One-year professional development programme for Reception lead teacher, to improve mathematics teaching quality and outcomes. | The report will be published in Summer 2027. |
| Early Years Professional Development (Main focus: Maths – Number Concepts and Mathematical Talk and Vocabulary) | Pilot | Maths Through Picture Books | East London Research School | Reception | Targeted | Ten-week targeted small-group intervention that uses focused conversations around picture books to improve numeracy skills and confidence. | Under consideration to be taken forward. |