Hungary's successful approach to teaching primary maths has pupils absorbing concepts early on, manipulating objects, using visual models and learning mental maths techniques. They begin written maths later than in the UK.
The Hungarian pedagogical methods have informed much of the English thinking in this area, and Hungarian pupils feature highly in the international rankings.
The teachers introduce written methods when pupils have a solid grasp of the mathematical processes they represent, meaning pupils start writing 'sums' about a year later than their UK counterparts.
There are no national tests or league tables in Hungary. Their approach appears to be formal and traditional, but their lessons are lively, logically structured and all the pupils are involved.
During their training, Hungarian teachers receive a thorough grounding in the maths they need to know and the methods they should use to teach maths effectively.
