Numeracy and Maths Support

“88% of children say their maths confidence improves when parents become more involved in their learning.”
National Numeracy Organisation

At All Saints Academy, We recognise the important role that parents and carers play in supporting their child through their maths lessons and at home with revision and homework. Our aim is to develop outstanding mathematicians and numeracy plays a huge part in that happening.​

Numeracy skills are used in almost every subject that pupils learn at school, in some form, and are vital to helping them build a successful future beyond their school years. It is imperative that pupils leave school with a strong mathematical understanding. In tandem with this having strong numeracy skills can help students in their daily life. Some of the most important examples of this include maintaining a good job and dealing with home-owner responsibilities, such as paying bills and finding the best deals. According to the National Numeracy Organisation, better numeracy skills are linked to improved health and wellbeing, as well as better employment and higher wages. Workplaces name numeracy skills as being one of the most common skills gaps in their employees. It is therefore crucial that every child can develop the confidence to tackle numerical problems with a positive attitude. We appreciate the important role that parents may play in helping to develop this confidence and engagement.

“Why is it not okay to say “I can’t read”, but okay to say you can’t do maths?”

Parent Guide to Numeracy and Maths

We want parents and carers to feel confident in helping their child with maths at home with revision and homework. However we recognise some methods used at All Saints may be unfamiliar to you or you may not have looked at any of these topics since you were at school yourself. With this in mind we have created a booklet that demonstrates common methods used in lessons so you can support your child when needed.

Numeracy across the curriculum parents booklet

Numeracy is everywhere in the world around us

Numeracy is everywhere. Everything you do contains some element of numeracy. Below are some ideas for ways you can help support your child in developing numeracy in everyday life and foster a positive “can-do” approach.

Baking and cooking: How much of each ingredient will we need if we want to make half of the recipe, or double, or for a certain amount of servings? What time will we need to start cooking if we want to finish by a certain time? How many chocolate buttons will we need if we put three on each cupcake?

Shopping: If the sale has 25% off, how much will I save? How much will the item now cost? Which item has the best value? How much will 5 of these cost? How many packs will we need? What change will I get from a £5 note?

Time: what does ‘quarter to 3’ mean? A piece of meat takes 30 mins per 500g plus 30 mins, how long will it take to cook? How long is a flight that leaves at 8:10 and arrives at 13:20 local time?

Sports: What is the score? How many more goals do they need to win? What is treble twenty? What do these statistics mean? How long is left of the game? When will it be half time?

Games: How many more jumps do I need to get to that position? How can I move 12 steps by rolling a double? If we roll two dice, how many ways could I move 6?

One key aspect to remember is that maths shouldn’t be associated with how quickly you can do something. It is better to have a deeper understanding and a slower approach, rather than a rushed approach with little method.

Top Tips

• The most important thing is to help your child develop a positive attitude with maths and numeracy and to not ‘fear’ the subject. Maths is a subject that improves with the more practice we get, and we all have different starting points. Seeing you being positive about numeracy and maths will likely make them feel positive too. 
• Help your child to develop curiosity and link numeracy with things that interest them.
• Praise your child for their efforts with maths. It is much more important for them to feel empowered and positive about maths, rather than focusing on their ability. By working hard and feeling positive about it, they will automatically strive to improve and gain confidence. Developing a ‘can-do’ approach, no matter how tricky the topic, is essential. ​
• Encourage your child to use their maths book to help them with their homework. Not only does this encourage them to be independent and resourceful, it also means that they are consolidating the methods that they have been taught. Have a look at our “Numeracy Guide for Parents” (linked above) to help with methods that we teach.

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