In 2021, Barnsley schools faced a pressing challenge. Most were underperforming in the Government’s National Statutory Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), a test taken by all eight-year-olds across England. With attainment levels below the national average, and many schools located in areas of deprivation, the South Yorkshire Maths Hub reached out to Professor Jennifer Field, known nationally as an expert in this area, to help them raise outcomes and improve confidence in mathematics teaching.
Responding to this need, Professor Field, from the School of Education and Institute of Lifecourse Development (ILD), designed and delivered a face-to-face year-long Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme, working directly with almost 50 schools in Barnsley over the course of three years; this focused on multiplicative reasoning, and was entitled: 'Whole School Approaches to Teaching and Learning Times Tables'.
Long-term, meaningful impact
After just 18 months, the programme, alongside the dedication of school staff, quickly began to show results. Schools reported a transformation in teaching practice and pupil understanding:
This has revolutionised the way we teach times tables across the Trust. Before your work with our schools all our schools were below national average scores; now 82% are OVER national average and the rest are at average – schools have doubled their outcomes! Scores have never been so high, and children REALLY understand. All our schools now follow your programme.
- NCETM Primary Lead and Teaching for Mastery Specialist, South Yorkshire Maths Hub
“Thank you for your commitment to schools in Barnsley. Your work has had a real impact on teachers and their pupils. All of these schools attended the Times Tables training you did in Barnsley. All adopted the approach you shared into their school policies and classroom practice. The impact of this focus on times tables has been phenomenal.” - Director of Teaching and Learning, ECM Academy Trust
Three years on, the long-term impact of this programme has been extraordinary. In the 2025 MTC national results, published by the government, Barnsley ranked 2nd out of 156 Local Authorities in England, achieving a score of 22.4, just 0.1 points behind Richmond upon Thames, one of the country’s most affluent areas.
‘This success is a testament to the hard work of schools across our borough and the impact of the ‘Whole School Approaches to Teaching and Learning Times Tables’ programme, designed and led by Professor Jenny Field from Greenwich University. We commissioned Professor Field to deliver this programme in Barnsley using funding from the Barnsley Schools Alliance. A huge thank you to Jenny Field – her work with Barnsley schools has been a key contributing factor in the borough’s success.' - Barnsley Borough Social Media Release
This remarkable achievement demonstrates how targeted CPD, rooted in research and delivered through effective knowledge exchange, can transform outcomes for pupils and schools in challenging contexts.
In addition to Barnsley, Professor Field has delivered this CPD programme across multiple London boroughs over the past five years, where schools are also reporting strong improvements in multiplication tables attainment.
Knowledge Exchange in Action
This project exemplifies the power of knowledge exchange: bringing academic expertise into schools, co-developing approaches with practitioners, and embedding sustainable change in teaching practice.
Additionally, Professor Field has written a Position Statement on behalf of the Mathematics Subject Professional Bodies and worked as an Expert Advisor for the Government Agency, the NCETM, on the subject of multiplicative reasoning.
For more details about Professor Field’s Programme and to access articles she has written on this subject, click here. For more details about the national MTC results, visit the Government statistics website.
