Oxford Mathematics and Statistics for Aotearoa New Zealand
Case study: Aimee’s story
It’s been a valuable year of learning, expressing, and showing others what I’ve learned from Oxford too... so it’s been fun!
Aimee Coombe Dairy Flat Primary School, Auckland
Meet Aimee
Aimee is a Year 4/5 teacher at Dairy Flat Primary School, north of Auckland.
Dairy Flat Primary School has about 310 students across Years 1 to 6.
Getting started
Aimee first explored the revised Mathematics and Statistics Curriculum in early 2024 through her Kāhui Ako. This sparked a conversation about finding a resource that aligned with the revised curriculum, and by the start of 2025, Dairy Flat introduced Oxford Mathematics and Statistics for Aotearoa New Zealand (Oxford Maths) across the school.
To get started, staff took part in online webinars, unpacking both the programme structure and digital platform.
“What I enjoyed about it was that we were all in the same room and could say, ‘Do they mean this? Do they mean that?’ We could answer questions as they came up, which made the whole process feel really supported.”
Aimee found the programme intuitive and easy to navigate, whether she was working online or using the books and classroom activities. Now she follows Oxford Maths around 99% of the time in her teaching. When needed, she still brings in favourite activities that have worked well in the past. She appreciates the flexibility to do both.
For Aimee, using Oxford Maths has made the curriculum more manageable and more meaningful, both for herself and her learners.
It has everything I need
The pre-tests are valuable, Aimee tells us. They show her clearly for each topic where her students are at and what gaps they have. The pre-testing puts the students into three different levels so she knows which students to extend and which need more targeted support.
She describes the process from there. They might start with the whole class doing an interactive task from the dashboard, and then students head into groups. One group might be working through the independent part of the Oxford books; another group will be working with Aimee going through the book or using manipulatives to grasp the concept.
“All elements of the programme, from the dashboard to the books to the activities, allow you to do whole class teaching, group work, and independent work. It allows you to group when you need to, and it has all the activities and bits and pieces you need. It’s all in the one stop shop.”
Feeling empowered
Aimee tells us that using the composite planner makes her feel successful as a teacher – that she is hitting what she needs to teach throughout the year, and is delivering a strong maths programme.
“If I compare back to when I first became a teacher and there were so many websites and resources you could go to. I feel with Oxford, it’s very structured: This is your next step; This is what kids need to know; These are the materials that you need. So, it’s very structured which makes me feel successful. I feel like I know what I’m doing.”
With the clear structure of Oxford Maths, Aimee feels confident that she knows how to address the needs of all her students, no matter their ‘level’ in the programme.
“It brings me joy to teach maths, which is amazing.”
“As teachers, if you’re passionate and excited about something, then the excitement spreads through your classroom.”
Engaged students
Aimee says she can see that Oxford Maths is hitting the mark for her students through their engagement. She thinks a part of this is the pace of learning – that you work on a concept for one to two weeks, and with the pre- and post-testing, the students can see themselves as being successful. They also enjoy the workbooks, the dashboard, and the manipulatives.
“I think the students are more motivated because they feel successful with mathematics. Whereas previously I think a lot of students came in with anxiety about maths, I now feel most of my class would say they are successful with maths.”
Aimee shares how delightful it is to watch her students’ excitement when they achieve success in the post-tests. A teacher loves to hear students say:
“Oh, that wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it was. I get it now.”
Real-world contexts
Aimee appreciates how the learning content is New Zealand-focused, relatable and culturally responsive. They often put Post-It Notes on their class map to identify where the learning context is located.
Aimee has noticed that the content and contexts work just as well for students who need more targeted support as they do for those who need extension.
She can see that it is putting the learning in context so her students can apply the maths. She notes that the vocabulary can be challenging, so it’s important to teach this explicitly before sending students off to work independently.
With the changes in the curriculum, Aimee tells us she has found the expectations of her students in maths to be higher than in previous years. However, Oxford makes it quite easy, step by step, and this builds her confidence as a teacher, and this flows onto her students as well.
“It is so structured... it makes me feel successful. But the kids are progressing and becoming stronger mathematicians as well.”