VIEWS


BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION (BESA)


Better early than late… In response to the Prime Minister’s recent


announcements regarding ‘Maths to 18’, BESA has reached out to ANDY RIDGWAY of BESA Launchpad member ‘Everybody Counts’ to share his thoughts in response to this.


We welcome the UK government’s focus on maths education and its acknowledgement that current attainment levels are damaging both to our people and our economy. The Prime Minister’s idea that pupils in England should study some form of maths until the age of 18, however, is almost certainly doomed to failure unless we first get the basics right in early years and primary school.


Wherever the ed-tech team at Everybody Counts travels around the world spreading the gospel of mathematics, the message is the same. These early years are crucial not only in developing a lasting depth of understanding of maths, but also in shaping a child’s attitude towards the subject. From California to Cambodia teachers we talk to report children ‘giving up on maths’ as early as six years of age. This is alarming and is a situation that is unique to the subject of maths.


Rather than accelerating children through a maths curriculum and extending it as the PM suggests, we have found it is more effective to spend longer on the foundations of maths. By giving children the opportunity to work collaboratively, to share their ideas, develop their number sense and mathematical reasoning at an early age, they will flourish through life as mathematicians. We find that pupils who struggle with maths in secondary and tertiary education are shackled by misunderstandings that are rooted in primary maths and have never been fully addressed in the drive to move through the curriculum to meet the requirements of exams. It is this cumulative nature of maths that makes the PM’s strategy such a dangerous one. A pupil cannot be expected to successfully divide by a fraction if she has no concept of what a fraction is. This lack of understanding leads children to rely on rote learning and acronyms such as Keep Change Flip. While this may bring short term success, it will never empower the learner with the skills for the long term. It is this only knowing ‘how’ without understanding ‘why’ that is at the root cause of learners with a flimsy grasp of maths becoming disengaged and disadvantaged. In our experience, smart technology has an important role to play not only in stimulating lasting learning but also in providing valuable data. By collecting and analysing data from our online programmes, teachers can identify and monitor areas of strength and weakness in both individual children and whole cohorts, making it a powerful tool for helping them deliver maths teaching based on the mastery approach, which has proven to be so successful.


Our message to the Prime Minister – as it is to leaders around the world – is that teacher training in maths must be significantly increased in early years and primary education. This, coupled with the use of smart EdTech, will empower them to teach learners in such a way that at 16 years-old they will not need an extra two years of maths education, as they will already have reached the required level of attainment to be numerate adults who can joyfully navigate a mathematical world.


LEADERSHIP WITH CHARLOTTE ROWLEY


Empowering is a super power In her column on leadership this month,


CHARLOTTE ROWLEY, Acting Principal, St Maria Goretti Catholic Academy, looks at empowerment and the art of letting go.


Taking control How many times as leaders have we felt like we


MUST take control, perhaps muttering the phrase, ‘I need to delegate this … but it’s easier to just do it myself.’ How many times have we completed a task, purely because we know how to do it and believe it will therefore be quicker to ‘tick’ off the list, rather than taking the time to show someone how to. On how many occasions have we perhaps not given people the chance?


I have been fortunate in my career and have had some fantastic opportunities and development, which have been invaluable in contributing to my own leadership journey. I will always be grateful for that and still believe that no matter how long we have been teaching or leading for in education, we should always be learning. I personally have recognised that this approach and encouraging a culture of development will lead to positive results and grow leaders. Growing leaders


Micro-management should be avoided at all costs. The best leaders I have worked for are those who allow you to try things, explore and introduce initiatives. These leaders allow you to grow as teachers, middle leaders or senior leaders, rather than telling you what has got to happen and therefore, quietening your voice.


If a leader identifies qualities in a teacher or other colleagues within the school, it is important to grow such talent. We keep returning to the rather bleak picture of the recruitment and retention crisis that we are in among schools; by identifying such leadership traits and enabling people to flourish can help to keep and develop good leaders, therefore, holding onto excellent practitioners. Encourage ambition


I recognise that I work with ambitious middle and senior leaders who want to progress and are keen to learn new challenges. One of the worst things that Headteachers can do is to keep their roles and responsibilities close to them. Playing to strengths and encouraging leaders to emerge out of their comfort zone is one of the most empowering steps. Your team will then feel valued that you have trusted them with new tasks and strategic direction, building confidence overall and driving impact. Stepping out of comfort zones


By encouraging others to try new things and step into the spotlight does not mean that the workload is lighter for Heads, nor does it mean it is a step back for them. Headteachers still need to have an overarching view and orchestrating what goes on in the school. By empowering others, you are effectively building your team, overall skills, productivity and also succession planning, as well as future-proofing. How can we empower? • Spot people’s strengths and skills and ensure that these are celebrated and fostered. • Ask. Have conversations with staff which explore what people’s career aspirations are and help them to take steps that will support them in getting there. Staff who are developed stay. Invest. • Do not micro-manage. Involve leaders and staff in decisions where possible. This sense of togetherness proves that you are listening to colleagues and overall, staff feel appreciated and valued. Who wouldn’t want to work in this culture? • Advise, enable and give fair, constructive feedback with clear steps and actions that will lead to improvements and progression. As an Acting Principal I have learned that I cannot do it all. None of us can. Enabling and building leadership foundations through aspiring leaders and challenging them to ‘step-up’ and flourish keep that passion and enthusiasm alive and permeating through school, but it also leads to productivity increase.


I genuinely care about developing inspiring and retaining good and effective leaders. Working in education can be difficult, fast-paced and at times, stressful. Recognising strengths and investing in people is a proactive approach.


Empowerment is a super-power. Let’s practise that! June 2023 www.education-today.co.uk 13


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