Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement he has had or intends to have with teachers in relation to the progress of project maths; if teachers are satisfied with the content of the course and that their professional development is sufficient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24258/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Implementation of the revised mathematics syllabuses began in all schools in 2010. The syllabuses were developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), which has a representative structure including organisations representing teachers. Both the development of the syllabuses and the associated professional development support has been informed by the experiences of a group of initial schools involved in project maths. Representatives from those schools are on the Department's steering committee for project maths.

A comprehensive programme of professional development for teachers is in place and a wide variety of resources are available. In relation to professional development workshops, I am happy to be able to place on record the high satisfaction rating there is amongst the teaching community with the content of training and support provided by the Project Maths Development Team. After each workshop, attendees are asked to rate their satisfaction level with the content. Over the 6 workshops provided to date the satisfaction rating averages 98%. This reflects the commitment and professionalism of not just the support team but also the mathematics teaching community who have actively engaged with the support provided. The NCCA has also commissioned research on the impact of Project Maths on student's attitudes and attainment.