Every Year 1 NSW public school student will be tested on essential mathematics skills as the Minns Labor Government rolls out the nation-leading number screening check from Term 2 this year.
The number screening check helps to identify students who are at risk of falling behind in mathematics, allowing teachers to provide targeted teaching and learning interventions for our youngest students.
The statewide roll out follows a successful two-year trial which has helped more than 7,000 students ensure they have the best possible chance at succeeding in mathematics.
Under a deal struck with the Commonwealth last year, the Minns Labor Government will make the number screening check available for all states and territories to use.
The number screening check complements the Year 1 phonics screening check, ensuring teachers have a comprehensive, early view of individual students' progress in both literacy and numeracy.
The number and phonics screening checks form part of the Minns Labor Government's work to improve education outcomes for all public school students after years of decline under the Liberals and Nationals.
The Minns Labor Government has overseen steady growth in NSW public schools' phonics results, with nearly two-thirds of Year 1 students meeting the benchmark in 2025. Under the Liberals and Nationals, only around half of Year 1 students were meeting the expected benchmark in phonics.
The ongoing focus on improving academic outcomes extends to NAPLAN, with NSW now the leading state, ranking first or equal first across multiple year levels in writing, reading, grammar, and numeracy.
These improved results follow the delivery of a major Minns Labor Government election commitment to get more teachers in front of students.
With the abolishment of the Liberals and Nationals wages cap and making NSW teachers the best paid in the country, the Minns Labor Government has slashed vacancies to a 12-year low and halved the number of merged or cancelled classes.
The delivery of these commitments has been supported by an updated school curriculum and a deliberate shift to explicit teaching in NSW public schools. This is giving teachers a stronger, more consistent understanding of what every student needs to learn effectively.
The Minns Labor Government is also delivering the largest school infrastructure investment in NSW history, including a record $9 billion in new schools and upgrades delivering 230 new and upgraded school projects, as well as delivering 100 new public preschools with 75 already under construction.
This is in stark contrast to the Liberals and Nationals who neglected to build and upgrade schools for growing communities, including failing to build a single public preschool in 12 years.
While we know there is much more to do the Minns Labor Government is focused on rebuilding public education and reversing a decade of declining results to improve academic outcomes for every NSW public school student.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
"Students' early years of schooling are critical as they develop the foundational skills to set them up for long-term academic success.
"The number screening check helps teachers identify the students who need extra help early, ensuring they receive the right support immediately, and are better equipped for school and life.
"The Minns Labor Government is lifting students' academic outcomes after the Liberals and Nationals presided over years of declining results and a teacher shortage crisis they ignored and denied.
"We're getting on with the job of rebuilding public education to ensure every student in New South Wales reaches their full potential."
