Students taking part in a numeracy programme backed by SHINE have shown impressive progress, with improvements of up to three years and an average gain of over 1.5 years.

Of the pupils who completed the Numeracy Bridger intervention last year, nearly 70% made measurable gains, significantly closing the gap between their numeracy age and their chronological age.

Individual improvements ranged from 5 months to 3 years and a mean improvement of 1.6 years.

Numeracy Bridger has been devised by Sam Slingsby, a teacher at Educational Diversity, an alternative provision school in Blackpool for children unable to attend mainstream schools due to their social, emotional, mental health and/or medical needs.

Sam is committed to helping students below age-related expectations build essential numeracy skills, preparing them for GCSE maths and beyond.

The programme consists of 12 half-hour sessions, delivered either one-on-one or in small groups. These sessions focus on key numeracy skills needed for GCSEs, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, while also introducing practical concepts like household bills, taxes, mortgages, and rent.

An initial grant from SHINE in 2022 allowed Sam to “develop, refine, and test drive” the programme and train two teaching assistants to deliver it. A larger grant the following year enabled its expansion to a second school, Blackpool Aspire Academy. The results last year mirrored those of the 2022 cohort, who achieved a median numeracy age increase of 1.83 years.

Another success of the second year of the programme has been the increase in pupil confidence. Using a Likert scale to measure confidence from 1 to 10, all 16 students showed improvement in their self-perception of numeracy ability. Confidence gains ranged from a minimum increase of 8 points to a maximum of 40 points across the intervention, with an average improvement of 1.5 points per session.

Sam said: “Numeracy Bridger consistently provides targeted students with the opportunity to strengthen their core numeracy skills, while also boosting their confidence.

“It primarily supports the lowest-attaining students, many of whom have struggled with maths for years and developed significant anxiety around the subject. This anxiety often stems from negative educational experiences, both in mathematics and in schooling more broadly.

“I believe that through targeted programmes like Numeracy Bridger, children and young people who have struggled with education in the past can build their confidence and go on to succeed in their maths GCSE and thrive in their future lives.”

In January, Numeracy Bridger was recognised as an excellent intervention by IncludEd and showcased at its national inclusive education conference in London.

In the coming year, Sam plans to continue expanding the project. With the routines, connections, and training for Numeracy Bridger now established at two schools, increased engagement is expected in both settings moving forwards.

Sam’s focus is to further embed the intervention into these schools, ensuring quality through continued support, communication, and visits.

It is hoped that many more children will benefit as a result.