National recognition for programme improving children's maths skills

CHILDREN'S maths skills are being boosted by an Edge Hill University teaching assistant-led programme, according to a leading education research organisation.

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The 1stClass@Number 1 programme, developed by the Every Child Counts (ECC) team at Edge Hill, has been nationally recognised for supporting children to improve their numeracy skills in Year 2, after experiencing challenges with the Year 1 curriculum.

The impact of the ten-week programme which is structured around core topics including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - was today highlighted in a National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report, prompting the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to add it to its 'Promising Programmes' list.

NFER evaluated 1stClass@Number 1 in 226 schools across England. Pupils who took part made, on average, two months' additional progress in numeracy compared to the group who did not.

The gains were similar for pupils eligible for free school meals, highlighting the important benefits of the programme in improving educational outcomes for this group.

Chris Paterson, EEF co-chief executive, said: "A good foundation in numeracy is so important for success later in school. This is why it is vital we help pupils become confident calculators early on.