Voices from the pilot

Children

• "It gave me more understanding in what I was learning."
  "It sort of helped me with giving me a boost. It put me a step forward."
• "It made me feel happy. It gave me a warm feeling in my tummy because I could do it."
  "It helped me do division because I couldn't do it and now I can. (Year 4 boy)"
• "I think the teaching in Wave 3 has made maths easier for me to understand."
• "Well, I got a lot more confident in my work."
• "I don't feel sick anymore because I can do this work" (Year 3 child)"

Year 6 children (in Year 5 at the time the Wave 3 work was done with them).

• "It was good because I was learning things."
• "I liked it 'cos I got stuff right in the classroom."
• "It made me feel proud of myself."
• "It made me think, so I got it right in the classroom."
• "I used to think back to what we had done and it helped me answer my SATs in the summer. (Y5 optionals)"
• "I now feel confident to do my SATs next summer. (Y6)"
• "I felt comfortable working with just a teacher as I could answer questions in my own time."
• "I learnt things I had never actually heard of."

Parents

• "Tom now seems more confident at having a go at solving problems"
• "Jo will do her homework on her own now, before I get a chance to help her"
• "Sophie's confidence and self-esteem has increased and she doesn't give up so easily now"
• "We often hear 'I can do it by myself' whereas before it was more of 'I can't do it'"
• "Bethany has a more positive approach now. She seems to be able to understand how numbers relate to each other better"

Adults in school

• "The project was a great success in many ways but, in particular, in terms of the pupils' progress in number. Pupils developed an enjoyment of 'word problems' - a sign that their learning was based on firm foundations and that they had benefited from learning in 'real life' contexts. This was quite a surprise to us, as children of average ability frequently find this type of question more difficult." (Mathematics coordinator)
  
  
• "I have really enjoyed being able to work closely with TAs in the delivery of this project and the progress made by the children is wonderful to see. They now can't stop putting their hands up in normal class Numeracy lessons and clearly feel much more a part of the class. They now ooze confidence and can't wait to have a go." (Subject Leader)
  
  
• "I can see real progress in Chris. It show in his reading as well now and he is so much more confident." (SENCO)
  
  
• "Using kinaesthetic methods really helped the children to connect to the objective e.g. to add/subtract 9/11 using the large hundred square in the playground, this helped them to physically move in the L shape and made it easier to remember back in class." (Teacher)
  
  
• "We have been extremely pleased with the implementation of wave 3 Numeracy at our school. It has boosted the confidence of all of the children involved and the positive effects have been witnessed throughout the school. Many teachers have commented on the change of children's attitudes. A Year 2 teacher observed a child who was previously petrified of Numeracy lessons and is now much more cooperative and happier during lessons, she is very pleased with the positive influence the group work has had." (Head)