Teachers celebrate ‘numbers count’ triumph

Sixteen primary school teachers in the Rochdale borough are celebrating after becoming qualified ‘Numbers Count Teachers’.

The teachers have been part of a programme to improve attainment in mathematics and in just 12 weeks have seen 160 children improve by on average 12.6 months.

Every Child Counts is a programme provided by Edge Hill University and the Department for Education that aims to enable the lowest attaining children in Key Stage 1 (ages 6-7) in England to make greater progress towards expected levels of attainment in mathematics.

The programme has been so successful that one school, Heybrook Primary, will become a training school for ‘Every Child Counts’ in September.

Sam Rafter, a teacher at Sandbrook Primary who took part found the Numbers Count programme amazing.

She said: “I’ve begun to understand more about how children learn numbers and the skills needed to develop their learning.

“The programme has also helped me to develop my role in school as an effective SEN teacher, working to improve number skills in different age groups.”

Margaret Farrell, Headteacher at Belfield Community School which was part of the pilot added: “Numbers Count has been a real success at our school.

“Not only for the individual children involved but also in the way that it has supported teachers in their class teaching of mathematics.”

Councillor Donna Martin, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said: “Research has shown that mathematics plays a really important role in children’s life chances.

“This programme has not only given the children who participated a huge boost but it’s also had a positive impact on the whole school.

“Congratulations to all the teachers on achieving their qualification.”