MATHS teaching inspired by lessons in Singapore and brought to England by Oxford University Press (OUP) can help youngsters to master the subject more quickly, new research has shown.

The Inspire Maths textbook is based on My Pals are Here! – a mathematics teaching programme used in the majority of Singaporean primary schools.

Research by the department for education at Oxford University found year one pupils taught with the programme for two terms made significant more progress than students using it for a shorter period.

Teachers reported that the programme could boost children's motivation and engagement.

Professor Pam Sammons from Oxford University said: "Our evaluation of Inspire Maths was an exciting opportunity to test out the impact of new mastery approaches to teaching maths in England.

"We found significant positive effects on children's maths progress after only two terms use of Inspire Maths materials.

"Teachers value the professional development provided to support their use of the Inspire Maths resources and reported it helped them implement the new mastery approaches."

The so-called mastery approach to learning maths involves children developing a deeper understanding of a concept before moving on.

It builds on research conducted at Oxford University in the 1970s and has become increasingly popular in UK schools.

In July schools minister Nick Gibb announced £41m over four years to support a network of 'mastery specialist teachers.'

OUP welcomed the findings of the survey but said more support was needed for schools.

OUP maths editorial director Jill Cornish said: "We now have clear evidence that a mastery approach can make a real different to UK maths classrooms, and we support the Government's moves to support it through funding and professional development.

"However it is clear that mastery cannot be a 'Far East bolt-on' and there is no quick fix to introduce it to British schools.

"Mastery requires a whole-scale change in mind-set when teaching maths, with ongoing training for teachers, and support from school management teams.

"If we are serious about raising maths attainment in the UK, we need a debate about how we can achieve this in a way that works for teachers and learners."

OUP said teachers needed more professional development and that school management teams needed to be brought on board.

My Pals are Here! is published in Singapore by Marshall Cavendish.

The company's head of publishing Lee Fei Chen said: "We are excited about this research and that it demonstrates the effectiveness of a mastery method of teaching mathematics in UK classrooms that has been so successful in Singapore."