Counting all the way to number 10

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, welcomed members of Edge Hill's education team to Downing Street this week.

The event was held to celebrate the successful launch of the Numbers Count Programme, Edge Hill University in partnership with Lancashire County Council has developed Numbers Count for the national Every Child Counts programme and is training 210 teachers across the country to give support to 6 year-old-children who struggle with mathematics.

The Prime Minister praised the 'tremendous work' of the team to change the lives of young children who struggled with mathematics or reading.

Nick Dowrick, Head of Every Child Counts Programmes, was joined by Sylvia Dunn, Susie Nicholson, Kathy Secular, Louise Matthews, Rebecca Lewis, Andy Tynemouth and Yvonne Panteli, together with teacher leaders, teachers, children and their parents who work together nationally on the Numbers Count programme.

Research published recently showed that children taking part in the first term of Numbers Count across England have made an average of 12 months' progress over a three month period with just 20 hours of tuition.

This means the children are progressing at four times the nationally expected rate.

Every Child Counts is a national partnership between the Department for Children Schools and Families, the National Strategies, the Every Child A Chance Trust, and Edge Hill University. It aims to provide support for Year 2 children who struggle with mathematics. Numbers Count is the intervention programme that has been developed by Edge Hill University for teachers to use when working with children.

Around 40 per cent of pupils on Numbers Count are on free schools meals compared to less then 20 per cent nationally.

Nick Dowrick, Head of Every Child Counts Programmes said:

"We are delighted with the first term's results of the Numbers Count programme. Congratulations to the Numbers Count Teachers nationwide who have helped children to make enormous progress in mathematics and to become happy and confident learners - and all this while they are still in their first term of training. We will work with them to maintain the gains children have made and to make Numbers Count even better in the remainder of the school year.

"Every Child Counts is an important investment in the education of all children. Not only will it 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 cannot read, so it's great news that we are now helping children with mathematical difficulties."

To watch a video of the reception and the speech that MP Gordon Brown gave click here http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1600158122?bclid=1672079.

For further information or to download the full research report go to www.edgehill.ac.uk/ecc.