At St Cuthbert's Catholic High School we address Numeracy in a cross-curricular way driven by the Learning Lead for Numeracy, Mr Neill.
Numeracy plays an integral part to our learning and understanding the world around us. It is important that we continue to explore and use our skills. Numeracy does not just mean ‘working with numbers’, Numeracy involves us using our thinking skills to solve problems, check answers and search logically for explanations. Within Numeracy we are also expected to be able to interpret the meaning behind data presented in tables, charts or graphs.
At St Cuthbert’s we use the National Numeracy website to inform our Numeracy work, and these resources have helped to map out the provision across the whole school.
Students are asked to sit a Numeracy Assessment at two points during the year, so that basic skills can be assessed and corrected if necessary. Each week, in form time, Students are given the opportunity to practise their skills using Knowledge Organisers and other form time resources.
The digital display boards around the school are continually updated with inspirational mathematicians and their life's work. These are also shared within maths lessons with their teachers. In every maths lesson, students will also address numeracy based skills, with the chance to build upon these skills or correct themselves.
The Year 7 catch up intervention programme solidifies the Numeracy skills for identified students and provides the opportunity for them to progress from working with concrete examples to develop towards a more sustainable and repeatable method.
Staff are given the opportunity to develop their own Numeracy skills within INSET sessions and can complete the online Numeracy Challenge for a Certificate.
When numeracy has been identified in other subjects, our Numeracy Lead co-ordinates a consistent teaching approach, making sure that the numeracy content is reinforced throughout the curriculum and students are aware of the numeracy links between subjects. This has already been the case in science, Geography and D&T.