Numeracy is the ability to apply appropriate mathematical skills and knowledge in familiar and unfamiliar contexts and in a range of settings throughout, including the workplace. At Integrated College Glengormley a central purpose of our school, supported by parents is to ensure that pupils develop the necessary numeracy skills to succeed at school and later on, in life and at work. This microsite provides parents and pupils with a support portal and somewhere where you can get the guidance you need.
Numeracy is a lifelong skill that we will use without thinking. Examples include;
Working out how many minutes until our bus or train
Planning for a family holiday
Planning a recipe with measurements of ingredients
Checking we've received the right change
Working out how much to tip in a restaurant
Setting and keeping to a budget
Helping children with homework
Managing our diet and nutrition
Measuring medicine doses
Developing strong numeracy skills can help us confidently make important decisions as adults, many of which involve numbers and numeracy based skills. Understanding the financial implications of borrowing money and budgeting can have a big impact on our lives. Many of our pupils' future careers will involve key numeracy skills and it's important our pupils are equipped to deal with the demands of the future.
Conversely, statistics show that pupils who have poor numeracy skills can face many obstacles. People with poor numeracy ability are disproportionally unemployed, are paid less, struggle with personal budgeting, are more likely to have emotional and behavioural difficulties and be involved in crime.
Working together we can support our pupils in developing their numeracy skills and becoming happy, confident and persistent users of Maths skills.