Edge Hill University Contract Will Make a Difference to 30,000 Children

Edge Hill University has been awarded a contract by the National Strategies on behalf of the Department for Children Schools and Families to run nationwide training for primary school teachers for the Every Child Counts programme. The contract is worth £2.4 million and includes the delivery of services to Local Authorities across the country. The training will be delivered in partnership with Lancashire County Council. By 2010-11 it will lead to over 30,000 six and seven year old children who are struggling with mathematics being given one to one support by 1,600 specially trained teachers.

Robert Smedley, Dean of the Faculty of Education said; “Edge Hill University is delighted to be leading this nationally important programme that will ultimately make a positive difference to over 30000 children. The University prides itself on being innovative and a positive change agent within the sector. This programme will utilise these strengths together with the wealth of experience that the University has in the field of Education.”

Every Child Counts is a partnership initiative between the DCSF, the National Strategies and a new charity, Every Child a Chance. The charity is bringing both financial support and educational expertise to the initiative. Edge Hill has appointed three National Trainers who have extensive experience of developing and leading mathematics intervention projects. In September 2008 the National Trainers will begin to provide training and professional development for Local Authority Teacher Leaders and Intensive Support Teachers. Edge Hill will provide assessment standards and a registration system for Teacher Leaders and Intensive Support Teachers who successfully complete their training.

Nick Dowrick, Head of Every Child Counts Programmes, said: “This is an important investment in the education of all children. Not only will the programme benefit the children that most need help with their mathematics, it will also have a wider impact on primary schools as a whole by raising standards for all children.

“Research has shown that pupils who leave school struggling with mathematics tend to have more problems in coping with adult life than pupils who can not read, so it’s great news that there will now be a national project to help children who have mathematical difficulties.”

Edge Hill is currently working with its partners to develop guidelines for the work that the Intensive Support Teachers will do with children, their parents/carers and schools. The guidelines will draw on Government recommendations through the Williams review of mathematics teaching in primary schools and early yearsand on lessons learned from research into a range of existing projects that are currently used in schools.

Lancashire County Council is currently leading the production of resources for the Intensive Support Teachers’ training, drawing on the experience of its own successful intervention scheme, Individual Numeracy Support. Ten Lancashire schools will take part in a pilot project in June 2008.

The University is currently developing a new MA programme for Early Mathematics Intervention. Teacher Leaders will study the MA to develop their understanding of children’s mathematical development and potential barriers to learning and of the issues and successful features involved in intervention programmes. The MA will also be available to Intensive Support Teachers and, from 2009 onwards, to teachers who are not directly involved in the Every Child Counts initiative but who want to learn more about helping young children to overcome mathematical difficulties.

The University will provide briefings and written guidance for Local Authorities, Teacher Leaders, Head Teachers, and Intensive Support Teachers to ensure that the teachers’ work with children and the training programme for teachers are successfully implemented.

Edge Hill will provide an online system for Teacher Leaders and Intensive Support Teachers to enter data about the schools and children that are supported. Edge Hill is working with an IT company in the United States to develop the system, which will provide analyses at school, Local Authority and national levels of the progress that children make while receiving intensive support and afterwards.

For further information, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/ecc.