CYPIC case study: Arbroath north cluster schools

Improving Numeracy - Hayshead Primary School and Arbroath North Cluster

Source: Jim Coyle, Head Teacher, Hayshead Primary School (for the information on the Arbroath North Cluster), April 2017

Primary schools across the country are finding better and more effective ways to achieve equity in educational outcomes through a range of Scottish Government programmes including the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative (CYPIC) and the Scottish Attainment Challenge.
Hayshead Primary School and the Arbroath North Cluster are using the Conceptual Development in Numeracy (CDI) approach and quality improvement through CYPIC to change the way they deliver numeracy in schools. The Arbroath North Cluster includes, Friockheim, St Thomas', Warddykes and Inverkeilor Primary schools who got together with Hayshead to develop a training package for teachers to increase their knowledge of CDI and agree a way forward, using QI to measure and evaluate individual pupil progress.

This iterative approach is enabling teachers to immediately recognise and address any challenges children are having with numeracy – such as difficulties recognising numbers and sequences or number structures. This means that teachers and staff can then be deployed to work with individual children to help them with their specific need, to improve learning outcomes. This approach is continuing as children move up through primary school, also helping to ensure smoother transitions.

This work has improved attainment amongst pupils in most primary school stages with very positive trends throughout primary 1 to 3 in particular. The schools are currently collecting data quarterly and are now exploring how to strengthen this process with more regular data collection.

Angus Council was shortlisted for a Quality Improvement Award for this work in 2016.