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The new Foundation to Year 2 maths curriculum: what changes
Education ministers agreed in November 2026 to rewrite Foundation to Year 2 maths. What changes, when it reaches classrooms, and what parents should do.
Read the guideKey points
On 2 November 2026, education ministers agreed to amend the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics for Foundation to Year 2, following work by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) [1].
The revised content will prioritise essential knowledge more explicitly, sequence foundational concepts, align the achievement standards, and set out age-appropriate content on consumer and financial literacy [1].
Schools begin using the revised content from 2027, with implementation complete by the end of 2029. Each state and territory decides its own start year [1].
Ministers also asked ACARA to begin a review of the Years 3 to 6 mathematics curriculum, and agreed that Year 5 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) writing returns to handwriting in 2028 [1].
What did education ministers agree?
Australia's school curriculum is not usually reopened between full reviews. Earlier this year ministers made an exception for the first three years of maths, and that work has now produced a decision. This guide sets out what ministers agreed, when it takes effect, and what it means for families. For background on how the review began and what it was asked to examine, see our earlier guide to the Foundation to Year 2 maths review (/learn/foundation-to-year-2-maths-curriculum-review-parents).
The Education Ministers Meeting (EMM) is where federal, state and territory education ministers take decisions on the national curriculum. They met on 2 November 2026. According to the communique published by the federal Minister for Education, ministers "agreed to amend the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics Foundation to Year 2 mathematics, following the work conducted by ACARA" [1].
A review on its own changes nothing: ACARA's terms of reference state that "any proposed change to curriculum will be brought to EMM for consideration and approval" [4]. This is that step.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported the decision as agreement on "a new national maths curriculum for the first three years of primary school", noting that students "will also be introduced to financial literacy" [2].
What will actually change in the curriculum?
The communique lists four changes to the revised mathematics curriculum [1]. It will refine content descriptions to enhance clarity and explicitly prioritise the essential knowledge, understanding and skills that students should learn; sequence content to ensure students develop key foundational mathematical concepts; align the achievement standards to the revised content; and clearly articulate the foundational mathematical concepts that support students to develop consumer and financial literacy in age-appropriate ways.
In plain terms, the curriculum teachers work from should become more specific about what matters most in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2, and about the order ideas are built in. ACARA's stated aim was to improve student outcomes by supporting teachers "to deliver the mathematics curriculum as intended with greater confidence and consistency", and to reduce workload "by providing greater clarity, prioritisation and sequencing" [4].
The content itself is not being replaced wholesale. The scope ministers approved in February 2026 covers only Foundation to Year 2 [4], and the four improvement areas ACARA set out in March are the same four listed here [3].
When does this reach the classroom?
Ministers agreed that the revised mathematics content will be implemented in schools "from 2027 and be implemented by the end of 2029 with the year of implementation to be determined by individual jurisdictions" [1].
Two things follow. First, 2027 is the earliest date, not a national switchover. Second, your child's school follows its own state or territory, so one family may see the revised content a year or two before another.
Until your state or territory adopts it, the current version of the Australian Curriculum applies. Version 9.0 was approved in 2022, and the next version is scheduled for approval in 2032 [5].
Why the early years, and why now?
The review was prompted by national results. When ACARA announced the review in March 2026, it stated that "around one in three Australian students in Year 3 are not reaching challenging but achievable numeracy standards, and one in ten are still requiring additional support" [3]. The ABC reported the decision against NAPLAN results showing one in three students not meeting minimum expectations in numeracy, a figure it gives for students overall rather than for Year 3 [2].
ACARA's chief executive, Stephen Gniel, said at the time that "a strong grounding in mathematics and numeracy are crucial skills for our young people to develop to succeed in their education and later in life" [3]. He also said initial consultations had highlighted "overall satisfaction with the current Mathematics curriculum" [3].
The early years are the focus because early maths is cumulative. Amy Haywood, co-author of the Grattan Institute's Maths Guarantee report, puts it this way: "we need to take primary maths teaching seriously as maths is very hierarchical and students need to master the foundational skills first to ensure long-term success" [6].
A related early-years change is already under way through the Year 1 numeracy check, covered in our guide for parents (/learn/year-1-numeracy-check-what-parents-need-to-know).
What about Years 3 to 6?
The same meeting agreed that ACARA "will commence an iterative review of the Australian Curriculum: Years 3 to 6 mathematics curriculum, which will also include consumer and financial literacy" [1]. No timeline for that review was published in the communique, and no changes to Years 3 to 6 content have been agreed.
NAPLAN is changing too, though unevenly. Ministers agreed that the Year 5 NAPLAN writing assessment "will return to handwritten completion in 2028, subject to further advice from ACARA on the feasibility, costs and workload implications of implementation". On handwritten numeracy for Years 3 and 5, and handwritten writing for Years 7 and 9, they only asked ACARA for advice, so nothing is settled there yet [1].
One further change sits behind all of this. Ministers agreed to establish an Australian Teaching and Learning Commission, bringing together the existing functions of ACARA, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, the Australian Education Research Organisation and Education Services Australia. It will commence "following passage of legislation in the Commonwealth parliament" [1].
What should parents do now?
Nothing here asks anything of families, and the practical response is unchanged.
Keep practice short and regular rather than long and occasional, and keep talking about numbers in ordinary situations, including money, since financial literacy is the one genuinely new element in the early years. To see what your child is expected to know at their year level under the current curriculum, see what the curriculum expects in each year (/learn/is-my-child-on-track).
For practice at home, our free printable maths worksheets (/worksheets/maths) cover place value (/worksheets/maths/topic/place-value), addition and subtraction (/worksheets/maths/topic/addition-and-subtraction) and money (/worksheets/maths/topic/money).
How Noooli can help
Noooli offers short daily maths practice, about ten minutes a day, for Kindergarten to Year 6, aligned to the Australian Curriculum, with progress parents can see. Free printable maths worksheets with answer keys are at /worksheets/maths, with no sign-up. Noooli is also on the App Store and Google Play: get the app (/free/app).
References
1. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, "Communique – Education Ministers Meeting – Monday 2 November 2026", published 5 November 2026. https://jasonclare.com.au/media/communique-education-ministers-meeting-monday-2-november-2026/
2. Conor Duffy, "Education ministers agree to biggest school system shake-up in years and to counter antisemitism", ABC News, 5 November 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-05/education-ministers-agree-to-biggest-shake-up-in-years-of-school/107348312
3. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, "Efforts to raise numeracy skills through targeted review of Foundation to Year 2 Mathematics curriculum", media release, 2 March 2026. https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/media-releases/media-release-targeted-review-of-the-foundation-to-year-2-mathematics-curriculum.pdf
4. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, "Terms of Reference: Iterative Review of the F-2 Australian Curriculum: Mathematics", approved by education ministers 20 February 2026. https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/curriculum/acara-terms-of-reference-iterative-review-of-the-f-2-ac-mathematics.pdf
5. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, "Australian Curriculum Review Cycle and iterative review process" (undated; accessed 5 November 2026). https://acara.edu.au/curriculum/curriculum-review
6. Brett Henebery, "A new formula for maths education — but will it add up?", The Educator, 18 March 2026. https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/a-new-formula-for-maths-education--but-will-it-add-up/288847
Common questions
What did education ministers decide about the maths curriculum?
At their meeting on 2 November 2026, education ministers agreed to amend the Foundation to Year 2 mathematics curriculum. The revised content will prioritise essential knowledge more clearly, set out the sequence in which concepts are introduced, align achievement standards, and include foundational consumer and financial literacy.
When will the new maths curriculum reach my child's classroom?
Ministers agreed that the revised mathematics content will be implemented in schools from 2027 and be in place by the end of 2029. Each state and territory decides its own year of implementation, so the timing will differ depending on where your child attends school.
Does this change what my child is learning right now?
No. The current version of the Australian Curriculum still applies until your state or territory adopts the revised content. Nothing your child is working on this term becomes wrong or outdated, and short regular practice at home remains useful either way.
