Williamstown primary school, Rhondda, has developed a policy of introducing maths into lessons wherever possible, from its three year olds in the school's nursery class through to the six children who have taken their maths GCSE this summer.

Standards have risen across the curriculum with the help of the numeracy initiative

Apart from giving the pupils the chance to take their maths exam five years early, the advantages of the scheme have filtered through other parts of the curriculum, with the school's overall achievements showing improvements in every subject.

Parents at the school have applauded the changes that the numeracy initiative have brought to their children's attitude to school, with a more positive approach reported.

It's a challenge studying the same maths as a 16 year old, says a primary school pupil

A mother said of her child: "You get home and now it's 'I'm doing my homework before anything else', where before the homework was left until last minute on Sunday night or first thing Monday morning."

The pupils themselves say that they have been motivated by the emphasis on numeracy and taking GCSEs so early. "It's a challenge to think that you're doing the same maths as a sixteen year old," one boy said.