Whole School Numeracy Policy

Numeracy: A Definition

Numeracy is more than an ability to perform mental calculations. Students should be able to confidently and competently deal with numbers and measures, selecting appropriate techniques to solve problems in a variety of contexts. Numeracy also involves a spatial awareness and an undertanding of the ways in which data can be gathered, represented, interpreted and analysed.

International School Pune Commits To:

• to ensure that all students have the opportunity to access numeracy across the curriculum.
• to help students to confidently recognise and transfer their numeracy skills across different subjects.
• to develop and maintain standards of numeracy across the curriculum.
• to ensure consistency of practice across the curriculum, including methods, vocabulary, notation, etc. and to highlight where there are differences between these.
• to identify areas of collaboration between subjects.
• to raise awareness of numeracy amongst staff and to assist them in developing opportunities to encourage the sharing of good practice in order to help students transfer these skills confidently.

Achievement Of Objectives:

• Mathematics Department to carry out a subject audit to identify areas of numeracy used by other subjects and at which Key Stage.
• Mathematics Department to attempt to ensure, through changes in SOW, to ensure that students have the appropriate numeracy skills by the time they are needed in each subject area.
• Mathematics Department to liaise with and support each subject to agree a consistent approach to methods, language and vocabulary.
• Subject Teachers to incorporate/highlight numeracy within their SOWs.
• Subject Teachers to be aware of students that struggle with numeracy through LDC information/SENDCo/IEPs or WJ as LDC mathematics representative. Liaise with mathematics teacher re pedagogy.
• Subject Teachers to seek opportunities to allow students to access numeracy tasks and to ensure consistency of approach in the teaching of numeracy.
• Mathematics Department to offer specific numeracy activities throughout the year for all subjects to engage in e.g. mathematics problem a week /Numeracy day/Pi day.

Information for Subject Teachers:

• Teachers should give opportunity for students to access tasks which improve numeracy skills.
• Teachers should be aware of where numeracy is an essential part of their curriculum.
• Teachers should understand the following 5 aspects of numeracy; ‘handling information’, ‘number’, ‘shape, space and measure’, ‘operations and calculations’ and ‘being numerate’.
• Teachers should refer to the “specific advice” in the  numeracy policy to aid effective teaching of certain aspects of mathematics within their subject areas and/or ask a member of the mathematics department if unsure.
• Teachers should provide key terms and vocabulary lists to support learning.

The following is an aid to help teachers understand and identify the following 5 aspects of numeracy: within their subjects.

Handling information:

• To understand the use and importance of handling information effectively within your specific subject area.
• To give students access to a range of information formats (tables, graphs, charts, diagrams and lists) for students to interpret within lessons.
• To encourage presentation of information in various forms (tables, charts, diagrams, questionnaires, graphs) within lessons.
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Numbers (and the number system):

• To encourage students to count reliably or develop methods by which to aid counting reliably.
• To encourage students to read, write order and compare numbers where applicable across the curriculum.
• To encourage effective use of approximations and estimations to allow effective communication in real life situations.

Shape, Space and Measure:

• To promote students’ correct use of language associated with time (e.g. before, after, today, tomorrow, later, etc.) and encourage students to use the measure of time where possible.
• To promote students’ understanding of the use and importance of money (especially for independent living).
• To promote students’ correct use of language associated with space (e.g. under, over, in front, behind, turn, clockwise, anticlockwise)

Operations and Calculations:

• To encourage students to develop their mental arithmetic (where applicable).
• To encourage the development of calculator skills (where applicable).

 Problem-Solving:

• To promote students reasoning and problem-solving skills across the curriculum. To provide opportunities for students to solve problems using a variety of methods.

Use of a Calculator:

Staff will encourage students to use mental strategies and formal written strategies in Years 7, 8 and 9. However, consideration of a student’s ability must be taken into account and if the use of a calculator will help progress learning, then this should be encouraged. The efficient use of a calculator in Years 10 and 11 can be encouraged while mental methods should also still be encouraged where applicable. Students should always be encouraged to estimate answers first and then check whether their calculator answer is sensible within the context of the problem.