"Our volunteers are fantastic! They are business-like, approachable and reliable. They are a breath of fresh air every Tuesday pm."

Headteacher

classroom-10

Schools

The overall objective of Number Partners is to support schools in raising attainment in maths through the provision of volunteer support in the classroom. Evidence indicates that not only do volunteer Number Partners help in supporting students' numeracy skills, especially mental agility with numbers, but they are also contributing to the development of students' personal and social skills.

Now that the Government actively encourages schools to set up a business link within their community, Number Partners could be the ideal way for a school like yours to begin or to develop a relationship with a local company or organisation.

The programme is aimed at 7 to 14 year olds but it can be adapted for younger or older students depending on requirements. Most appropriately, it can be offered to children who may not be fulfilling their potential, or who would benefit from additional support. Class teachers or maths coordinators choose the most suitable students for the programme.

Number Partners in 10 easy steps!

  1. The school appoints a member of staff to act as Number Partners coordinator and registers for the programme on this site.
  2. The school sets about finding a local business or other organisation able to provide Number Partners. For guidance on this you can visit the Teachers' Guide to employer engagement or the businessinschools site. Alternatively, you could contact your local Education Business Organisation to see if they can help you find an employer to work with.
  3. The employer recruits volunteers to take part in the programme.
  4. Volunteers complete the online training and assessment on this site, as well as police or criminal record checks.
  5. Together with colleagues, the school coordinator selects appropriate students. These may be students who are not confident at contributing in class, have difficulty in working with others, require additional time and support to develop their numeracy skills or are particularly confident in maths and need time to stretch their knowledge and understanding.
  6. The school coordinator invites the volunteer coordinator for the programme into the school to discuss aims and practical issues.
  7. Together, the employer and the school need to select and make available games and other useful materials for volunteers and students.
  8. The school coordinator meets volunteers in advance of their first session with students to ensure that volunteers have their Number Partners certificates and police or criminal record check documentation in place. This induction session is an important part of the preparation process for volunteers.
  9. Volunteers go into schools at an agreed time once a week to work with a group of two or three students each.
  10. The school coordinator stays in touch with the volunteer coordinator, checks the programme is running smoothly and may be asked by the Number Partners Consortium to help evaluate the scheme. You may wish to undertake evaluation as part of your own approach to ensure that you are meeting your school's original objectives. For an example of an evaluation of a Number Partners scheme, please visit the Tower Hamlets EBP website.

 

You can also contact us if you have any questions regarding the programme.