Old Bawn Community School
Numeracy Based School Self Evaluation and School Improvement Report
Summary.
Summer 2016.
Actions carried our following self evaluation form school year
2015/2016:
Cover sheet for exams or equivalent were used by most departments. A poster illustrating how to
convert a fraction to a percentage was made available to all staff for their classrooms. Teachers
did not convert the fraction result to a percentage but instead students did this for themselves.
This resulted in an observed (i.e. not measured) notable improvement in a students ability to
convert fractions to percentages without prompting.
The numeracy wall was created. Posters produced by transition years interchanging fractions,
percentages and decimals were displayed. A time zone display was also created. This generated
much conversation among students. Students were given the opportunity to have the time of the
capital city of their country of origin displayed.
Clocks with movable hands were made available to all teachers to assist in explaining how to read
the time to students who were struggling with this aspect of being numerically literate.
Teachers and students were surveyed to gather information on attitudes to numeracy, promoting
numeracy and attitudes to the relevance of numeracy in everyday life.
The randomly selected cohort were retested to examine changes in competency of first year
students in the targeted areas.
Improvements were made by the majority of students across both areas targeted, time and
fractions/decimals/percentages. The improvements however, particularly in the
fractions/decimals/percentages, were modest and this area will be retargeted next year.
Conversion of varying units of measure was identified as a problematic area by teachers as an
area worthy of focus. This area will be targeted in the coming academic year. This should assist
emphasis on length, perimeter, area and volume, which has been deferred to next year.
Identified strengths:
The questionnaires revealed that the staff in general have a very positive attitude to numeracy and
feel competent enough in their abilities to help students with any numeracy related issues that may
arise within their subject area. Staff are also very willing to embrace initiatives that they are able to
implement.
Incoming first year students have in general a positive attitude to mathematics.
Students have become far more competent in converting fractions to percentages, and appear to
be more aware of the interchangeable nature of fractions and percentages.
The mathematics department are in the process of agreeing common methods when teaching
different areas of the mathematics syllabus.
Staff and students have an increased awareness of time, and the importance of being able to read
the time correctly, calculate the time in other time zones and add and subtract units of time. This
was reflected in the follow up assessment of first years as this area showed significant
improvement.
Identified weaknesses:
A lack of common methods across all departments for the numerical needs of individual subject
areas may be causing problems for students.
While there was an improvement evident in the area of fractions/decimals/percentages, it was very
modest. Refocus on this area is needed.
The conversion of units of measure (eg. cm to m etc.) was identified as an area of concern by
teachers, in particular those who teach practical subjects.
Actions for 2016/2017:
Posters illustrating how to convert between varying units of measure to be made available to staff.
Subject departments to be asked to identify numerical needs within their subject area and common
methods to be agreed across all subject departments. Methods agreed to be made available to all
staff via numeracy website.
All teachers who use graphs will be asked to ensure students “put SALT” on their graphs. Posters
illustrating how to do this will be made available to all staff.
Emphasis on issues relating to time calculations to be continued. More emphasis to be placed on
the relationship between fractions/decimals/percentages over the coming year to improve student
competency in this area.
Online tutorials demonstrating how to complete various mathematical tasks using agreed methods
to be made available on numeracy website. Parents to be made aware of the availability of these
tutorials.
A photo competition showing “numeracy in action” to be run among incoming first years.
Targets:
First year students to be assessed on competency in the areas of fractions/ decimals/percentages
and separately for ability to convert units of measure. Students to be reassessed in May and
improvements or otherwise published.