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A practical, step-by-step guide to raising achievement in numeracy

Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum

Contents1 Introducing numeracy across the curriculum 2

About the resource Why is numeracy development important? What is numeracy? What are the school inspection requirements?

2 Challenging and developing the existing ethos 6 What are the challenges in improving numeracy standards? Addressing the culture of failure Case study: Oakwood School

3 Systems and procedures for numeracy across the curriculum 9Six factors for success Numeracy development cycle Roles and responsibilities Case study: Ormiston Victory Academy

4 Auditing your current provision 18 Where are you now? And where do you want to be? The auditing process Case study: Kingsmead School

5 Developing a sustainable programme 30 Whole-school numeracy development plans Department numeracy development plans Case study: Oakmeeds Community College

6 Practice and pedagogy 34Numeracy content domains Numeracy toolkit Numeracy attribute domains Case study: Chelsea Academy

7 Raising the profi le of numeracy development 46Numeracy calendar of activities Student advisory groups

8 Training and staff development 48Developing a new numeracy programme Revisiting a pre-existing numeracy programme Teacher-enquiry professional development Inset Role of the mathematics department Case study: Great Barr school

9 Monitoring and evaluation 53Learning walks

Appendix 1 Further Reading Appendix 2 Glossary Appendix 3 CD-ROM content Appendix 4 Numeracy policy: National Curriculum, Ofsted and Estyn

(2x - 1 ) > 2x - 15

x 2b3 x 2a3x + 2≤ 5x - 7

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Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum ¢ 57

Appendix 3: Leading and managing numeracy across the curriculum CD-ROM

Disclaimer: all materials provided by schools on the CD-ROM were presented in good faith, as examples of work that had been undertaken in their schools at the time of publication.

Chapter 1 1.1 Numeracy definitions

1.2 Numeracy statistics

Chapter 2 2.1 Numeracy across the curriculum training Inset presentation: Oakwood School

Chapter 3 3.1 Numeracy development cycle: 10 steps for success

3.2 Numeracy development cycle: 10 steps for success – RAG rated

3.3 Roles and responsibilities

3.4 Roles and responsibilities with additional blank column to personalise

3.5 Exemplar school numeracy policy: Bispham High School Arts College

3.6 Maths mats: Ormiston Victory Academy

Chapter 4 4.1 Where are you now? And where do you want to be?

4.2 Ofsted linked Where are you now? And where do you want to be?

4.3 Collecting information: a review of numeracy across the curriculum

4.4 Key issues for numeracy across the curriculum: collecting data from assessed work

4.5 Numeracy questionnaire: student voice

4.6 Key areas for review

4.7 Key areas for review – blank template for SLT

4.8 Key areas for review – blank template for subject leaders and teachers

4.9 Numeracy across the curriculum – subject audit

4.10 Numeracy think tank meeting notes: Kingsmead School

4.11 Exemplar numeracy policy: Kingsmead School

Chapter 5 5.1 School development plan – exemplar

5.2 Departmental development plans – exemplars: ICT, maths and science

5.3 Department development plan – blank template

58 ¢ Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum

Chapter 6 6.1 Accuracy in measurement and drawing

6.2 Calculation with fractions, decimals and percentages

6.3 Handling data

6.4 Graphs with three axes

6.5 Human scatter plot

6.6 Example of questions that may arise from classroom situations

6.7 Numeracy toolkit

6.8 Numeracy attribute domains

6.9 Numeracy criteria: Chelsea Academy

6.10 Exemplar numeracy policy: Chelsea Academy

6.11 ‘How we teach it’ guide to student numeracy: Chelsea Academy

6.12 Year 7 numeracy assessment: Chelsea Academy

Chapter 7 7.1 Calendar of numeracy events

7.2 The role of parents/carers

Chapter 8 8.1 Numeracy in the school student jotter

8.2 Whole-school professional development training day

8.3 Number signposts

8.4 Numeracy in physical education

8.5 Numeracy mats

8.6 SLT whole-school focus action plan: mathematics

8.7 SLT whole-school focus action plan: science

8.8 SLT whole-school focus action plan: blank template

8.9 Numeracy conundrums: that’s what it says, but is it right?

Chapter 9 9.1 Lesson observation – blank template

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Introducing numeracy across the curriculumThe purpose of this resourceConcerns about standards in numeracy and mathematics in England have been around for some time and our performance in international tests always attracts criticism.

This resource provides advice and guidance on raising standards in numeracy. It aims to give a step-by-step guide to leading and managing numeracy skills development, and its subsequent application, across the curriculum.

It includes examples of different approaches and shares initiatives and strategies that have worked well in schools.

Who is this resource for?This resource is for senior leaders and numeracy coordinators in secondary education who want a step-by-step guide on how to develop numeracy skills across the curriculum.

The resource takes into consideration the varied and individual nature of secondary schools and is designed to support the development of numeracy skills in a diverse range of settings.

A successful whole-school numeracy strategy has to involve everybody: the senior management team, teachers of all subjects, teaching assistants, parents/carers, and of course, students. Strategies for ensuring participation by these groups are included in the following chapters.

What is in this resource?Accompanying this booklet detailing the improvement process is a CD-ROM which provides resources and exemplification of the process in action.

How to use this resourceThis resource is designed to be used flexibly, allowing senior managers and numeracy coordinators to dip into materials appropriate to the school’s current position.

However, if your school has no or very little numeracy practice, it is advisable to systematically work your way through the strategies in the order in which they appear.

This resource is intended to be used in the true spirit of numeracy across the curriculum, whereby all staff share the responsibility for developing numeracy skills.

Why is numeracy development important?Poor numeracy is a major, long-standing problem in education, business and indeed society. Many commentators as well as those affected have argued that it has been neglected as a national issue and for far too long.

According to a 2011 Skills for Life survey (see Further Reading section in Appendix 1) almost 17 million adults in the UK have numeracy skills below those needed for the lowest grade at GCSE. The results from this survey are based on a sample of 7,000 adults aged between 16 and 65 normally resident in England. The low levels of numeracy were just as evident in the 16-25 year old cohort as in any other subgroup – and these are the learners who have gone through secondary school during the last ten years.

Among the most disturbing findings of the Skills for Life survey is that numeracy skills seem to be declining in this country while literacy skills are improving. It showed that only 22% of the population (7.5 million adults) is working at Level 2 or above in numeracy – roughly equivalent to A*-C at GCSE – a decrease from 26% (8.1million

Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum ¢ 3

adults) in 2003. This is alarming as adults with low levels of numeracy are twice as likely to be unemployed.

In contrast, the comparable figures for literacy show: 57% of the population (19.3 million adults) is working at level 2 or above in 2011 compared to 44% in 2003. This improvement in literacy levels is evidence that progress can be made. However, the great and increasing differential between numeracy and literacy achievement puts the spotlight on the crucial need to improve

A comparison of literacy and numeracy skills amongst the adult population in England

A great deal more data and research is available on www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk for those who are interested in digging deeper into the issues and challenges.

02003 2011

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Adult population working at Level 2 or above (roughly A* – C at GCSE)

n Numeracy n Literacy

numeracy. Secondary schools must play a key role in such improvement.

It would be beneficial to share these interesting numeracy statistics with SLT, subject leaders and teachers. They appear as PowerPoint slides on the CD-ROM (see 1.2).

Adult population – Level of numeracy Skills for Life Data 2011

n Level 2 or above (GCSE Grade A* – C)

n Below Level 2

Adult population – Level of Literacy

Skills for Life Data 2011

n Level 2 or above (GCSE Grade A* – C)

n Below Level 2

The importance of numeracy across the curriculumStrengthening numeracy across the curriculum will benefit students. They will develop confidence and proficiency in numerical skills as well as the wider use and application of mathematics. It will strengthen the school’s attainment at GCSE in maths, science and other subjects.

What is numeracy?While most people have a reasonable understanding of what it means to be literate, one of the issues with numeracy is the many different definitions; it means different things to different people. For some it is synonymous with mathematics, for others it is a subset of mathematics, while others will argue that numeracy lies only partly in mathematics and partly in many other disciplines. Some see numeracy skills simply as those needed to do a specific job (e.g. an engineer or a bricklayer, or for calculating invoices). Many see it as being essential for the ability to be a reflective and active citizen (e.g. making sense of charts and information reported in the media).

In this publication we take the view that numeracy is a fundamental life skill that is needed in many facets of everyday existence - personal, leisure, social and work - in order for people to lead a confident and fulfilling life in school and beyond.

Across the curriculumThe schools sharing their practice in this resource approach numeracy from a life skill perspective. However, at the start of the numeracy across the curriculum (NaC) initiative they felt it important for staff to discuss and develop a common definition of numeracy for their students. They agreed that numeracy does include significant aspects of what is taught in a school’s mathematics curriculum. But some aspects of numeracy are best developed and applied elsewhere in the school curriculum, including work beyond the subject departments such as in PSHE. The process of developing a school definition for numeracy can be helpful in clarifying the distinctive contributions that different parts of the school can add to students’ achievement in numeracy.

CD-ROM resource 1.1 contains different definitions of numeracy as a stimulus for your own school’s discussions.

4 ¢ Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum

The aims of our cross curricular numeracy policy are:

¾ To develop and improve standards in numeracy across the school for all our students

¾ To establish and maintain consistency of practice including notation, vocabulary and methods

¾ To identify and support areas for collaboration between subjects

¾ To assist the transfer of students’ knowledge, skills and understanding between subjects.

Initially we will focus our developments on KS3 in order that students have the necessary numeracy skills for all their GCSE studies at KS4.

To raise standards in schools, numeracy needs to be seen as a practical capability that enables learners to apply their skills and knowledge to solve problems in a whole range of contexts across school and in real life. A number of schools highlighted in this resource worked on practical ideas for developing and embedding students’ numeracy skills, and gradually built up a whole school policy for numeracy across the curriculum, starting with some clearly articulated aims. For example:

What are the school inspection requirements?The importance placed by government and Ofsted on numeracy is evident in The National Curriculum and Ofsted inspection framework:

¾ The National Curriculum in England states that teachers should develop students’ numeracy in all subjects

¾ Ofsted looks at students’ attainment, including their standards in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as the quality of teaching in these areas.

For further information on the National Curriculum and Ofsted, please see Appendix 4.

What these government and Ofsted documents show is that numeracy is no longer the responsibility of the maths department; it is now a responsibility and challenge to all relevant subjects.

This change of expectation needs to be communicated to all subject leaders and teachers, along with a whole-school approach of high expectation and high-level support; training staff in what they need to know and how it can be embedded in the teaching and learning of their subject.

Numeracy across the Curriculum (NaC) Coordinator

We wanted to agree a defi nition of numeracy that everybody could relate to so, though we looked at

several examples from a range of sources, we developed our own version that works for us. The process of defi ning it was helpful for a range of teams in school to see how

and why they had an important contribution to make to students’ success in numeracy

Leading and Managing Numeracy across the Curriculum ¢ 5

Students in PE using numeracy skills to read stopwatches, interpret the data, compare times with a specifi ed degree of accuracy e.g. tenths of a second, to identify the fastest athlete

& Key messages

¢ Numeracy is a basic life skill without which individuals will struggle in and beyond school

¢ As a life skill, the description of numeracy goes beyond mere computation – it includes essential abilities such as solving problems, understanding and explaining the solutions, making decisions based on logical thinking and reasoning, and interpreting data, charts and diagrams

¢ Low levels of numeracy in 16-25 year olds who have left the school system over the last ten years are restricting their career opportunities; adults with low levels of numeracy are twice as likely to be unemployed

¢ Only 22% of the UK adult population is working at level 2 or above in numeracy. Secondary schools must play a key role in improving numeracy skills

¢ The importance of numeracy is refl ected in the emphasis it receives in the National Curriculum and Ofsted inspection framework

Key action points

¢ Develop your school’s defi nition for numeracy. This is helpful for clarifying the contribution that different members of the school community can make to numeracy achievement

¢ Communicate the expectations of the National Curriculum and Ofsted inspection framework to subject leaders and teachers.

CD-ROM resources1.1 Numeracy defi nitions

1.2 Numeracy statistics (PowerPoint)

This is a fantastic resource that provides a practical step-by-step guide on how to embed Numeracy within the curriculum. It details how to do this as part of a whole school vision, which is shared by all participants. Numeracy is integral to learning and improving the life chances of all students. The resource takes into account the challenges of numeracy and provides strategies to combat these.

Harroop Sandhu, Maths Coordinator, The Leigh Academy

This resource focuses on developing numeracy across the curriculum with practical ideas and resources. No matter where you are on the journey of development there will be something you can use within this book.

Heather Martin, Assistant Headteacher and Senco, Christ the King Catholic School and St Mary’s Catholic College

At Callington Community College, we already have a clear, well-implemented NaC strategy that we share with other colleges. This resource has come at an ideal time as it has helped me to consider the evidence base to back up what is happening in classrooms. As a Specialist Leader in Education, I would recommend this resource…It really brings everything together. For a school yet to start looking at NaC, this resource would be an excellent starting point and would inform a coherent plan.

Gemma Patton, Director of mathematics, Data and Assessment (former NaC Coordinator), Callington Community College

Leading and managing numeracy across the curriculum provides a practical, step-by-step guide to successfully leading and managing numeracy across the curriculum.

Numeracy is a fundamental life skill essential for leading a confi dent and fulfi lling life in school and beyond. With only 22%* of the English adult population working at level 2 or above in numeracy, educators must play a key role in improving numeracy skills.

This resource pack provides strategies on raising standards in numeracy; the book provides detailed step-by-step guidance whilst the CD-ROM provides resources and exemplifi cation of the process in action.

Senior leaders and numeracy coordinators in secondary education who want to develop a whole-school numeracy development programme will fi nd this resource invaluable.

Schools particularly like:

¢ Numeracy data and statistics that can be shared with all staff

¢ Clear structure on how to lead and manage numeracy across the curriculum, including a 10-step guide for success

¢ The accompanying ‘off-the-shelf’ CD ROM resources that avoid ‘re-inventing the wheel’

¢ The whole-school roles and responsibilities section

¢ Clear and concise structure and layout

¢ Key messages and action points at the end of each chapter: a great re-cap

¢ School case studies and strategies

¢ Templates for audits, analysis, development plans and more

*Skills for Life Survey, 2011

SSAT (The Schools Network) Ltd.5th fl oor, 142 Central St, London, EC1V 8AR020 7802 2300 | info@ssatuk.co.uk | www.ssatuk.co.uk

inquireinspireinnovateimpact

SSAT (The Schools Network) Ltd, a private company limited by shares.Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 8073410Printed: April 2014

ISBN 978-1-906524-99-9