Park Lane Academy

Numeracy Strategy

Our whole academy approach to numeracy is concerned with being ready to see a problem as numerical, to look for numerical solutions and to spot patterns and connections. Within this, it is also necessary to build ‘numeracy resilience’ by enabling students (and all stakeholders) to see the personal value of numeracy, believing that they can improve and putting in the effort where it is needed, accepting that, at times, everyone struggles in order to succeed. Thus, our strategy is intended to impact upon students’ self-esteem, motivation, behaviour and attainment.

 

Intent 

Our whole academy approach to numeracy is concerned with being ready to see a problem as numerical, to look for numerical solutions and to spot patterns and connections. Within this, it is also necessary to build ‘numeracy resilience’ by enabling students (and all stakeholders) to see the personal value of numeracy, believing that they can improve and putting in the effort where it is needed, accepting that, at times, everyone struggles in order to succeed. Thus, our strategy is intended to impact upon students’ self-esteem, motivation, behaviour and attainment..

ASPIRATIONAL LEARNERS

Numeracy at Park Lane Academy aims to develop numeracy confidence, competence and resilience in all stakeholders to ensure that students are independent, confident and successful learners who can select, apply and understand a range of mathematical knowledge in a range of contexts. A love of numeracy is developed by making connections between the numeracy used in each discipline to real life situations and a range of enrichment opportunities.

CHALLENGING OFFER

Students are provided with the opportunity to engage with high quality material, developing a range of strategies to embed numeracy. Making connections to and developing awareness of numeracy demands in each discipline will ensure that knowledge is carefully sequenced. Links to real life applications and careers ensures that students understand how their learning could look and be applied in their next stage of learning.

PASSPORT TO SUCCESS

Numeracy is a driver for social mobility. We are passionate in ensuring that students can calculate fluently, reason and solve problems, selecting the appropriate strategy for a wide range of everyday situations. The numeracy approach at Park Lane Academy focuses on all aspects of numeracy (disciplinary and numeracy needed for everyday life) as well as strategies to develop knowledge of facts, concepts and mathematical thinking. This underpins students’ access to a broad, balanced, rich and inclusive curriculum experience.

LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Through the discussion of numeracy in the context of its real life applications, connections to careers, and key mathematicians behind the concepts and facts, students are able to articulate how and why numeracy extends beyond the academic curriculum and has an impact on the local, national and global communities. The development of strategies for reasoning and problem solving alongside resilience, character and a world class attitude to learning truly prepares students for becoming leaders beyond the constraints of academy life.

Implementation 

At Park Lane Academy, we engage in research-based practice to positively impact upon our students and continually strive for excellence. As such, our numeracy approach is informed by the research carried out by National Numeracy and the EEF To ensure consistency and clarity, numeracy definitions have been created to support our curriculum drivers.

DISCIPLINARY NUMERACY

Continued professional development and collaboration supports teachers in every curriculum area to teach students how to apply and develop numeracy effectively in their subject specialism.

NUMERACY FOR DAILY LIFE

Opportunities to promote and embed numeracy skills needed to be successful in everyday life are embraced through the wider curriculum.

FLUENCY

In a variety of contexts across the curriculum, students will:
• Develop their use of numbers and the number system.
• Develop their ability to calculate (add, subtract, multiply and divide).
• Develop their use of geometry (their ability to measure and explore shape and space).
• Develop their ability to handle information using graphs and charts, comparing sets and types of data.

REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Employing numeracy in a variety of contexts across the curriculum, students will:
• Be able to select and interpret information.
• Be able to apply knowledge of the number system; operations and calculations; geometry (shape, space and measurement) and methods of handling information;
• Be able to identify structures, search for sequences, patterns and connections.
• Be able to predict, trial and check.
• Be able to use estimates, and context to check that a solution is reasonable.

HOW?

  • Develop a shared understanding, for all stakeholders, of how to incorporate and benefit from numeracy across the curriculum.
    • Support teachers to promote disciplinary numeracy in their subject specialisms through appropriate and ongoing professional development.
    • Develop explicit links between numeracy and other subjects, promoting cross-curricular cooperation.
    • Develop and monitor a tailored program of numeracy intervention focusing upon identified gaps in learning, enabling students to access the KS3 and KS4 Mathematics curriculum.
    • Recognise and celebrate examples of high-quality numeracy practice from across the curriculum.
    • Promote resilience and confidence through the development of cultural capital and enrichment, extending to all stakeholders.

Impact 

  1. ASPIRATIONAL LEARNERS

Students can work at or above age-related expectations, having increased confidence and resilience. Students can articulate numeracy strategies to help them work independently. Students can calculate fluently, reason and solve problems in a range of numerical contexts.

  1. CHALLENGING OFFER

Students can adopt high-quality written and oral reasoning and problem solving, making connections across topics and disciplines and selecting relevant strategies to support them. Students can draw on previous knowledge, use correct language and notation and reflect on work using metacognitive tools to identify next steps.

  1. PASSPORT TO SUCCESS

Students, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have SEND, make strong progress from starting points across the curriculum, as a result of excellent curriculum implementation. Students gain qualifications to enable successful progression to relevant and high- quality post 16 destinations that match their interests and aspirations. Students are ready for the next stage beyond our setting and high rates of students remain in education or training.

  1. LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Students are confident in articulating the importance of numeracy in everyday life. They are better able to understand the world around them using numeracy knowledge and skills.

 

Numeracy Across the Curriculum

CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM

  • Driven by a teaching for understanding approach.,
  • Carefully sequenced learning - designed to check and build on previous knowledge in line with the national curriculum – is informed by high-quality and consistent diagnostic assessment.
  • Interleaving, non-standard examples and the complexity of problem solving increases over the 5 year plan.
  • Consistent and sustained use of mathematical language and oracy is a key feature of lessons.
  • Meaningful and personalized homework for all year groups designed to practice and retrieve key facts, knowledge and concepts in line with schemes of work.
  • Research informed approach to teaching using relevant NCETM and Maths Hubs guidance, EEF and Guidance reports.

DISCIPLINARY NUMERACY

  • Common topics and approaches are shared with the wider academy staff to provide guidance and consistency.
  • Professional development is delivered to share the vision for numeracy, importance of disciplinary numeracy and key strategies.
  • Regular bitesize PD to share key research and connections between numeracy and the MEA visions and ethos.
  • Support and collaboration – informal and formal – between subjects to develop numeracy opportunities. Best practice shared is in staff newsletters.

Numeracy Intervention 

 Use of Sparx Maths platforms to provide high-quality intervention. Early identification of pupils requiring support through the development of effective partnerships with feeder schools, increased awareness of KS1 and KS2 schemes and effective transition practices between KS2 and KS3 and KS3 and KS4.

  • Numeracy intervention for identified cohort of catch up and SEND students, delivered by a trained SEND TA. Consistent use of TA support in class for this cohort.
  • Implement research-informed strategies within mathematics lessons to improve progress where they have been identified as working below age-related expectations.(e.g. manipulatives, CPA approach, numeracy ninjas, variation, intelligent practice and interweaving)
  • Use summative assessment data to review and modify the curriculum model (e.g. SATS QLA data, GCSE data, QLA from assessments, chief examiner reports etc.)
  • Communication through whole academy PD systems of National Curriculum expectations at different stages throughout KS1 to KS4.
  • Student voice to ascertain and review student attitudes and confidence towards numeracy.

Numercy Enrichment 

  • GCSE boosters. Further Maths offered as an enrichment opportunity. Booster sessions held in half term for targeted Year 11 students.
  • Games Club held to develop problem solving strategies and reasoning in a games context.
  • Academy drop down days and focused activities (Careers, problem solving, life skills)
  • Maths Escape Room – Subject Revolution to promote mathematical confidence and positive attitudes.