Organisation: Drayton CE VC Junior School
Intervention: Catch Up® Numeracy
Submitted by: Mr Martin White
Background
Drayton C of E Junior School is a school of approximately 320 pupils in the village of Drayton about 4 miles from the City of Norwich. Our pupils range from the age of seven to eleven and most come from Drayton or nearby Thorpe Marriott. The school has been using Catch Up® Numeracy as part of our involvement with a research project to look at the effectiveness of Catch Up® Numeracy. We wanted to take part in the project because we have identified additional support for numeracy as a priority and the project gave us the opportunity to find out whether Catch Up® Numeracy could make a difference for our pupils.
Implementation
The Catch Up® Numeracy sessions were timetabled to take place twice each week during the mornings. The pupils were identified using a range of information as potentially being able to benefit from extra support. We made sure that parents knew about the sessions and got their permission. We used a standardised test to measure the pupils’ numeracy age before they had any Catch Up® support and again after two terms. The children improved with their number ages and in the progress that they made through the Catch Up® levels.
We had two staff trained - one of our Teaching Assistants was selected to work with the children and we also had a member of staff trained to be the Catch Up® coordinator. The coordinator was able to make sure that the TA had the necessary resources such as number lines and counters and that the TA could keep to their timetable. The coordinator did the full Catch Up® Numeracy training and was able to help with the TA’s queries. The coordinator also observed some of the sessions. This helped to make sure that the children’s sessions went well and provided evidence for the TA’s OCN accreditation.
Case Study 1 - Catch Up® Numeracy
At the start of Catch Up® Numeracy, Pupil A’s Maths Age was 8yrs (NC level 2A) and her Chronological Age was 9yrs 9months. Pupil B’s Maths Age was 8yrs (NC level 2A) and his Chronological Age was 9yrs 6months.
Both pupils responded positively to the Catch Up® Numeracy sessions and they both showed an increase in confidence with their approach to Maths and overall self-esteem within the class.
With continued Catch Up® support for just over a year, Pupil A’s Maths Age is now 9yrs 6months (NC level 3A). Pupil B’s Maths Age is now 9yrs 6months (NC level 3A). Both pupils gained 18 months in maths age and a NC level.
Aims
Aims: CARE - Cherishing each individual, Aiming for excellence in teaching and learning, Relationships built on mutual respect, Experiences that enrich lives.