School of Education

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Andy Noyes

Professor of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

Andy is the founding Director of the Observatory for Mathematical Education (2023-). He is the Chair of the Joint Mathematical Council of the UK (2018-24), and a current member - and previous vice-chair - of the Royal Society's Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education. He chairs the RS/ACME Expert Panel on post-16 mathematics, sits on the Mathematical Futures Programme Board, has been closely involved in the development of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. Andy is a member of the advisory boards of several major research projects and intervention programmes.

Andy's research interests are focused on mathematics education and 14-19 learner participation, pathways and policy. He is particularly interested in systems thinking, systemic change and implementation science. Andy is involved in a range of consultancy and advisory work including to the qualifications regulator, Ofqual. He joined the University in 2001, after teaching mathematics in a Nottinghamshire secondary school following his graduation from the University in 1991. He was Head of the School of Education from 2014-18 and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Social Science) from 2018-20.

Research Summary

Andy's research is concerned with understanding and improving educational systems. This work is now focused largely in the Observatory for Mathematical Education (60%), but he also leads the Research… read more

Selected Publications

Andy is the Director of the Observatory for Mathematical Education. His research supervision areas include:

  • mathematics curriculum, assessment and pedagogy
  • 14-19 mathematics education and transitions into university
  • learner choices, pathways and transitions
  • initial teacher education and teacher development
  • education policy
  • quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies

Research proposals: please email Andy if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of your research topic. See also: School of Education research supervision areas.

Current Research

Andy's research is concerned with understanding and improving educational systems. This work is now focused largely in the Observatory for Mathematical Education (60%), but he also leads the Research and Policy Group of the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (20%).

The Observatory has an ambitious longitudinal programme of research, innovation and collaboration and aims to stimulate and support improvements in mathematics education that will, in turn, have benefits for individuals, for the economy, and for society. It was announced at the end of 2023 and builds on an internationally respected history of research and development at the University of Nottingham which began in 1967 with the establishment of the Shell Centre for Mathematics Education, and continued in the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education.

Past Research

Andy's previous project was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The Mathematics in Further Education Colleges project (MiFEC project) produced an evidence-based advice for policymakers, college managers, curriculum leaders and practitioners on how to improve mathematics education in England's Further Education colleges. A multi-scale approach was used to investigate 1) how FE policies shape patterns of mathematics engagement and attainment, 2) how colleges mediate national policy in their implementation strategies for mathematics and vocational curricula, and 3) how the skills and capacity of the teacher workforce impact upon mathematics learning. This project combined FE college case studies and analyses of student progression over time using the Individualised Learner Record and Next Steps panel survey. A survey of mathematics teachers furthered our understanding of the professional development needs of the workforce.

The earlier Rethinking the Value of Advanced Mathematics Participation (REVAMP) was also funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The project combined four quantitative strands of analysis to understand the current and changing attitudes to, participation in, and value of A level mathematics. The project uses high-quality secondary datasets and includes a large-scale survey of 17-year-olds' understandings of the value of mathematics in their educational and life choices and aspirations. The project includes 1) updated research on the 'economic return' to A level mathematics; 2) an investigation of the nature of changing participation in A level mathematics from 2005-13; 3) modeling of the relationship between A level mathematics and outcomes in a range of science and social science degree-level programmes; 4) a large-scale survey of 17-year-olds. These quantitative studies will be interwoven with a policy trajectory analysis that traces the value(s) attributed to A level mathematics, in particular its economic value.

From 2007-11 Andy led two major longitudinal studies of mathematics education. The first of these, Geographies of Mathematical Attainment and Participation, was funded by the ESRC (2007-2011) . The second, the Evaluating Mathematics Pathways project was conducted on behalf of QCA (2007-2010) More recently Andy has contributed to the College Ready Mathematics Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Geographies of Mathematical Attainment and Participation went beyond headline statistical trend analyses to examine, through a multi-scale, mixed methods approach, the social patterning and underlying causes of varied participation and attainment in school mathematics. Of particular concern was the impact of school mathematics departments upon mathematics learning trajectories but the project also explored the impact of learners' dispositions acquired in their particular social milieu. The study used large-scale, longitudinal data sets of learner attainment to conduct analyses of school effects (e.g. multi-level modelling) and the impact of various social factors upon trajectories.

The Evaluating Mathematics Pathways (EMP) project was an independent evaluation of the Mathematics Pathways pilots. This project evaluated the manageability and impact of a range of proposed new 14-19 mathematics qualifications. It was conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the Universities of Manchester and Sussex. The EMP project provided evidence regarding the extent to which the Pathway models address the concerns raised in Making Mathematics Count (Smith, 2004).

School of Education

University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
Nottingham, NG8 1BB

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