From the Assistant Principal

Girl Math

I’m not going to pretend I know what Girl Math is. Carly tried to explain it to me – something about a jacket not actually costing money if you wear it enough times. I googled it, and sure enough, there are actual 'rules' (all in jest, of course) that girls use to justify impulse spending. Buy an extra item to get free shipping? Free. Pay in cash? Basically free. While it’s all a bit of fun, the name itself points to something less funny: the stereotypes around girls and maths.

“I’m just not good at maths” and “I don’t like maths” are phrases we hear far too often - and, unfortunately, more often from girls than boys. In a perfect world, gender would have no link to ability or confidence in mathematics. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and sometimes we have to work a little harder to challenge the assumptions we (and our kids) grow up with.

I was lucky. Maths made sense to me (except for those cursed 7 times tables). Even through high school, I didn’t think much about people who found maths difficult. That changed at university, when I noticed some of my teacher-in-training peers were genuinely anxious about the idea of teaching maths. Later, as a teacher, I heard it from parents too: “She doesn’t like maths” or “She’s not very good at it.”

While it is very stereotypical of me to say ‘she’, don’t worry, I’ve got data to back up my point. This year across Victoria, 65% of our Year 3 and 5 girls were strong or exceeding in NAPLAN Numeracy, compared to 71% of boys. Looking at relative growth (how much improvement students showed from Year 3 in 2023 to Year 5 in 2025), 71% of girls showed medium or high growth, while 77% of boys did. Our school follows a similar trend - a reminder that we can’t take progress for granted.

But this isn’t a problem unique to NLPS - and it isn’t one that can be solved with a snap of the fingers (or one rambling newsletter article). But we can all play a part.

At NLPS, we’re committed to a culture where maths feels accessible, purposeful, and empowering for every learner. Our focus is not only on outcomes, but on the process of learning. We want mistakes to be seen as steps forward, and every student to see themselves as a problem-solver and thinker. We’ll keep using our data to reflect, adapt, and improve, but most importantly, we’ll keep nurturing the belief that every child can grow into a confident mathematician.

So my challenge to you is this:

Watch your words. Kids absorb the casual comments we make. Saying “I was never good at maths” or “I hate numbers” might feel harmless, but to your child it can sound like permission to give up. Flip the script: try “Maths was tricky for me, but I kept practising” or “I like the challenge of figuring things out.”
Value effort over talent. Celebrate persistence, not just “getting it right.” When your child struggles, frame it as normal, healthy, and part of the learning process.
Make maths visible. Talk about numbers in everyday life - cooking, shopping, sport, time, travel (and time travel). Show that maths is not just something they do at school; it’s everywhere.
Expect confidence. Believe your child can learn maths. Expectations matter. If your child senses that you see them as capable, they’re far more likely to rise to the challenge.
Challenge stereotypes. If your child says “I’m just not a maths person,” don’t let it slide. Remind them there’s no such thing – everyone can improve with practice and persistence.

Girl Math doesn’t need to mean discovering loopholes or making stereotypical jokes. Let’s make it mean having the confidence and curiosity to solve real problems. Together, school and home can build a culture where all of our students - girls and boys - see maths as a challenge worth embracing, not avoiding.

Because if there’s one bit of Girl Math that really adds up, it’s this: every bit of encouragement we give our kids in the present multiplies their confidence later.

Mat Williamson

Assistant Principal (and quietly counting coffee as a tax-deductible expense… did I do Girl Math right?)