Based on the practice within your school setting evaluate how current initiatives support development of numeracy across the curriculum for a specific age group.
Beth Goodwin
(1602209)

This essay will be evaluating how current initiatives can support the development of numeracy across the curriculum. The writer will look into their current work setting and will evaluate how numeracy is being used to meet learning requirements.

School Background 
XXXX is Voluntary Aided Primary School in the suburb of West Cross about three miles west of Swansea city centre. The school currently has 171 pupils between the ages of three and eleven. There are six mixed-age classes and a nursery class, where 14 children attend part-time. The three-year rolling average of pupils eligible for free school meals is 4%, which is well below the national average (19%). 
The school identifies that around 18% of pupils have additional learning needs (ALN). This is lower than the national average of 25%. A very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs. About 40% of pupils come from an ethnic minority background and around 23% speak English as an additional language (EAL). No pupils are in the care of the local authority. No pupils come from homes where Welsh is their first language. The writer is based in the year 1/2 split class. This class consists of 11 year one pupils and 13 year two pupils . Within this class, there is a high percentage of children that are lower ability compared to their class peers. There is one child that has an additional need of Ehlers- Danlos syndrome and one child who has behavioural issues. Within this class there is a high count of children who have English as a second language. This class consist of English, Welsh, Chinese, Indian, Polish and Spanish children. This essay will be looking at a group of five children that are in the lower ability group for most topics. These children have been assessed within the school curriculum and are often not covering activities suitable for their ages and are often working at an outcome that would be set for the class below. This group of children consists of 3 children from year 2 and two children from year 1.

Background of the literacy and Numeracy Framework
In June 2011, The Minister for Education and Skills had made raising standards
of Literacy and Numeracy in schools a priority in his keynote speech to the Institute of Welsh Affairs, he announced this initiative to introduce a new National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) for all learners aged 5 to 14. He stated that Literacy and numeracy skills are absolutely essential for young people to reach their potential irrespective of their intentions to pursue higher education. The National Literacy Programme and the National Numeracy Programme set out actions to the Welsh Government and intends to implement and improve literacy and numeracy standards in Wales. The plans for a statutory national framework and for a system of national testing are capable to be used for both programmes. 
The LNF has been developed to help achieve aims that children of Wales are able to develop excellent literacy and numeracy skills during their time in education. The current national curriculum was introduced in 2008.
It states to seek skills of development throughout the curriculum and is underpinned by the non-statutory Skills framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales (Welsh Assembly Government, 2008) which covers developing thinking, communication, ICT and number. The Estyn report “The Skills Framework at key stage 2: An evaluation of the impact of the non-statutory Skills framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales at key stage 2’ in July 2011 and similar report for Key Stage 3 in May 2012 found that the skills framework had not been effective. The LNF has replaced the communication and number element of the non-statutory skills framework. The LNF became a statutory curriculum requirement from September 2013, with assessment against the LNF becoming a statutory requirement from September 2014. This means that all schools will have had to follow the LNF framework from Sept 2014 for children aged 5 to 14. The LNF sets the standard we expect learners to attain. Within literacy teaching staff will expect learners to become accomplished in Oracy, reading and writing across the curriculum. Teaching staff will also expect children to attain required standard in numeracy by developing numerical reasoning, using number skills, using measuring skills, using data skills. 
Alongside the children who will be able to accomplish these skills teachers will be able to develop curriculum content to ensure that all learners have opportunities to develop and refine the skills set out by the framework, Teachers will also be able to combine and introduce literacy and numeracy into their teaching. Teaching Staff will be able to help learners with their own self-assessment activities and planning for learning. This will help monitor, assess and report on each learner performances and identify learners who may benefit from intervention as well as those who are working beyond age-related expectations.
The Literacy and numeracy Framework is a beneficial framework for the children as it links education to life skills. The writer feels that this is a fantastic approach for education as children will be learning skills that will be useful in everyday life. An example of this is when the writer was conducting a money lesson with the selected group of children, which involved choosing “Claude” a three-course meal in a fancy café. The children have a varied menu that Claude could pick for his tea. This group of children would be working from the numeracy framework stand of using number skills with the element of management of money. The learning outcome for these children would be for the children to use different combinations of money to pay for items up to 20p. These children were in the lower ability group the teacher targeted for them to come out at receptions target that would be for children to use 1p, 2p, 5p, and 10p coins to pay for items. The more advanced children they would be able to go on to the year 2 target which states the children to use different combinations of money to pay for items up to £1. This lesson was used for a numeracy lesson but could be used for many other lessons, this could include an English lesson or a PSE lesson as the children could then role play the café out with their peers, it serves as a great lesson for children that have English as a second language too as they have to communicate with their friends and order a meal whilst they are pretending to be “Claude”. You could extend this activity by going on a school trip to a local café with the children and they would have to order a meal from the menu and ensure it was in the price range. This will link in to the cross curricular approach that the framework is aiming to achieve.  This means that even when the children are participating in an English lesson there could be an aspect of numeracy included and vice versa, when maths is being taught literacy could be included too. A good example of this is when teaching children to make a Christmas card with instructions to follow. This activity came from the literacy section of the framework and developed from the strand reading across the curriculum with the element of responding what has been read. The child was asked to identify information related to the subject of the text. 
The children were given a sheet of instructions to make a Christmas card with a partner. Partner one read the instructions out whilst partner two had to listen and make the card correctly according to the instructions. Within these instructions there were steps that included how many pieces of white card were required, and how many stars needed to be placed on the card. For more capable children, a variety of crafts were placed in front of them and they were asked to decide what was needed for the card. This was a good activity as it had numeracy included for children to count as well as literacy and reading, as some children had to read the instructions out and some children had to listen and recall the information to ensure the card was made correctly. This illustrates that the Literacy and Numeracy framework is used in both topics.
Some current initiatives that are being used within the writers’ school have had a profound impact on children. Numicon is an excellent resource for numeracy as it can be used in a variety of ways. Within school XXXX it is used very frequently, within the foundation phase it is used in most lessons. Numicon has had a positive impact from children and parents have seen an improvement in children’s development. Williams,S  a parent and teacher from school XXXX has said that it has been “amazing” for her daughter. 
She describes numicon as a saviour for her daughter and said that numicon “provides her much more confidence when doing activities”. She was so sold on numicon that she is now buying the closing the gap class kit where it will be used for children in small groups with lessons that can include numeracy
In a research paper published by Wing, T and Tacon, R they have highlighted the benefits from the use of numicon. They say Number ideas are very abstract, and children need to have these presented to them in a variety of ways. With the Numicon approach, children can utilise multi-sensory activities with patterned shapes, rods, number lines and a broad range of everyday experiences and contexts; so their understanding of number ideas is varied.
As shown numicon has been used in a number of schools, when compared to another School they have said it has had a tremendous impact on the children’s abilities. 
School ++++ states that there progress in Maths at KS2 (identified as an area of weakness by OFSTED in 2013) has improved significantly and Numicon has played a key role in developing teaching and learning in the subject. At the start of the 2014-15 academic year, all of our junior classes are on target to make at least 14 points progresses in Maths by the end of KS2. Year 4 have made 3.9 points progress to date (target 3.5 points) Year 5 have made 7.12 points progress to date (target 7 points) Year 6 have made 10.92 points progress to date (target 10.5 points) Year 2 pupil premium children were supported through small group interventions and in class with Numicon and made superb progress through the year (6.7 points progress on average) against a class average of 6.6 points. This highlights the benefits that numicon has had on other local schools. 
Research shows that Numicon activities are all cross-referenced to the number objectives of the current Primary National Strategy. Both approaches address the number requirements of the National Curriculum for numeracy. (Incidentally, in physically manipulating and combining the Numicon patterns children address many of the 'shape and space' objectives as well.) The 'Problem Solving' activities in the Numicon approach closely relate to the categories of problems in the National Strategy, and also to the 'Using and Applying' sections of the National Curriculum. This will also link numicon to literacy and language lessons as they are able to write about the findings when using numicon and are able to talk about what they have used numicon for. 
The foundation phase at school XXXX have a pupil run fruit tuck shop that runs every day at snack time. For this the children have a “numicon till” which helps children understand the concept of money. They will learn how to use different combinations of money and work out how much change their peers would need. This initiative put in place by the school gives the children an opportunity to understand the concept of money in real life situations and helps children have a true understanding of the importance of money management. This is an excellent initiative from numeracy as the children get to utilise their maths skills that will be beneficial to them outside of school life and gives them an understanding of currency. This will let the children develop an appreciation of maths and find it more enjoyable as they will be able to use learnt knowledge outside of school. This can also be linked to other lessons within the curriculum as children could then go on to going on a school trip to a green grocer or alternatively go on to learn how run a fruit tuck shop in welsh. In comparison to the fruit tuck shop in foundation phase the junior children will be able to learn about money with different techniques.  An example of this is when the children were asked to work out how much it is to book the annual Christmas cinema trip and work out the money costings per child. This gave them the opportunity to understand the concept of money and helped with division and adding, this can also be linked to their literacy side of education as they would then have had to produce a consent form for the parents to fill in and booking of a school trip. These activities that each child has completed should link to outside life and should help develop their knowledge of numeracy for outside of education.
Numicon is also used for other activities to help develop children’s numeracy skills. If looking at the Numeracy framework under the developing numerical reasoning strand in the review strand the children should be able to interpret information presented in charts and diagrams and draw appropriate conclusions. A good example of this is when children have been asked to make a graph using a HWB account on the computer. The children are required to decide on a question that they would ask each child in the class. Child A decided to ask, “what is the best thing about Christmas?” they had 5 items to choose from: snow, presents, decorating, food or going to church. Once the child had written the question down on a piece of paper they then went around to each child and asked them to place there one numicon on their favourite thing about Christmas. He then tallied up the scores.  Once this had been done, they went over to the computer corner and log in to their HWB accounts and create a graph to show what their peers liked the most and what they didn’t like. They were also able to write down questions for their peers to answer about the graphs, such as what the least favourite thing about Christmas. As this example shows, the children learnt a lot with the use of numicon. They were able to use a numicon to represent their vote, and were able to use the higher number numicon (if needed) to add up the total of each category. They then went on to use ICT skills when making the graph, they had to type in the categories and input the results in to the graph. After this was completed they were then able to design questions to ask their peers about the graphs they had created. 

Conclusion 
The information provided highlights; the current initiatives of numeracy across the curriculum, and provides information on the strategies that are being used to teach numeracy across the curriculum. The writer feels that the Literacy and Numeracy framework has had a beneficial effect on the children’s learning as the writer feels it links both numeracy and literacy together and combines both topics in each lesson. With the use of numicon throughout the school it has improved children’s awareness of numeracy in all lessons. The writer believes that the current framework in place is beneficial as it combines numeracy and literacy skills together simultaneously.
 In contrast to the writer’s opinion, A new curriculum is currently being developed for schools in Wales. 
The new curriculum will have more involvement in developing young people for life. It will develop their new skills and help to apply their subject knowledge more practically. The new framework will include a new digital competency framework is in an attempt to introduce digital skills across the curriculum. Preparing students for the opportunities and risks that they might encounter online. The new structure means that teaching staff will have more freedom to teach in ways they feel will have greater impact for their learner’s knowledge. This new approach was informed by Professor Graham Donaldson’s independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales, which highlighted the foundations for a twenty-first Century curriculum. The Welsh Government have stated that this Curriculum will be used throughout Wales by 2022. In the opinion of the writer, this could have a big impact on how the learner will combine literacy and numeracy compared to the Literacy and Numeracy Framework. In summary, the writer feels that the literacy and Numeracy Framework that is currently in place has helped the development of numeracy within education. It provides a positive impact and outlook on the children’s understanding of numeracy and literacy combined and looks forward to seeing Donaldson’s approach of preparing learners for life outside education.