Numeracy monitoring , evaluation & review support pack
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Monitoring, evaluation and review
Monitoring, evaluation and review
This section contains information on various monitoring, review and evaluation approaches that may be used, listing the advantages of each approach.
It is vitally important that you identify the purpose of your monitoring, review and evaluation activity through selecting a specific line of enquiry, rather than it be an open-ended process.
Here is a cross-section of various lines of enquiry you can use during your monitoring, review and evaluation activities. It is important that you do not try to answer everything at the same time, but rather select some questions on which to focus. You can select one or more enquiry questions to try to answer:
What is the standard of learners' numeracy work? Is this consistently high across the school?
Do pupils achieve as expected?
Do standards of work show continuity of numeracy across the school? i.e. do learners develop their numeracy skills as they move through the school?
To what extent are learners able to discuss their skills and achievements? for example, using subject terminology effectively, using technical vocabulary accurately when explaining.
Do learners demonstrate independent working skills? for example in line with expectations according to age / ability level.
To what extent do teachers / staff model expectations to the learners? Does this lead to higher standards?
Is there consistency across the school in terms of Numeracy? for example consistent use of strategies for number work in line with the Maths department's principles, consistent understanding of the success criteria for different types of graphs,.... etc
Is there too much ‘spoon-feeding’, or an overreliance on closed tasks and standard techniques?
Is there constructive feedback provided on numeracy related work, and is this of the same standard as feedback in other areas/subjects, or non-numeracy related work?
Do plans demonstrate ambition, and is this consistent across the school?
How wide is the range of experiences that are planned / provided?
Does our current curriculum provide enough opportunity for learners to use and practise numerical reasoning?
Are planned tasks of a high standard and likely to set an appropriate level of challenge for learners?
Is numeracy a ‘bolt-on’, or an integral part of the curriculum?
Do planned tasks allow learners to lead the learning? e.g. learners selecting most appropriate strategies, opportunities for problem solving, opportunities to support peers.
Here are a number of various approaches that can be used to monitor, review and evaluate Numeracy and answer the line of enquiry in question. Each approach has its advantages and you will likely use a variety of approaches during the year in order to ensure you have a full picture of the area. The way in which each school uses these approaches is slightly different, but the points below broadly describe how each one is implemented:
Learning Walk & Lesson Observations
Learning Walk & Lesson Observations
What?
What?
During a learning walk you can visit different classrooms to observe the teaching and learning, visits to each classroom tend to be brief (approximately 15 minutes) which allows multiple visits during one lesson. A lesson observation tends to be when you're in the same classroom for the whole lesson to observe the teaching and learning. You can speak to learners to gain a full picture of the leaning process as well as listen to their views about the work and their confidence in completing it. A learning walk or a series of lesson observations can be conducted across the whole school, or it can focus on an age range or specific departments. Forewarning teachers of the specific area under review before conducting the learning walk/lesson observation is useful, so as to ensure the area in question is in action during the lesson. This would ensure you are able to observe more factors to contribute to your enquiry, and help you to come to a judgement on what you observe.
Advantages?
Advantages?
Opportunity to review and evaluate teaching and learning.
Plenty of opportunities to speak with learners.
Opportunity to see whether the level of challenge provides continuity across the age range in question.
Opportunities to identify effective practice to share.
Opportunity to evaluate the consistency in the approach towards Numeracy (the approach isn't always evident when just looking at books).
Get a flavour of how the area looks across the age range / departments in question .
Work scrutiny
Work scrutiny
What?
What?
Work scrutiny for Numeracy tends to be looking at a sample of books from across the curriculum. When undertaking work scrutiny, it is best to look at learners' work over a period time rather than stand alone pieces of work, this will allow you to determine if skills are developed over time. The focus should be on a cross-section of learners, or on a particular age range. It can also be effective to include the learners in the activity, this can be beneficial to enable you to gather more information about the numeracy related work.
Advantages?
Advantages?
Opportunity to check a number of aspects: consistency, standards, pedagogy, teaching.
Opportunity to see learners' achievement over a more extended period of time
Opportunity to compare standards and ensure continuity across the school
Opportunity to see the range of experiences
Interview Learners
Interview Learners
What?
What?
It is recommended to choose a cross-section of learners for this exercise, which can also be across a range of ages. You can either interview everyone together, or choose to interview on a year group / class basis. Interviewing learners allows you the opportunity to discuss learners’ work with them, this can be more effective if learners bring their books with them so they can show the work they're discussing. Discussions with learners will enable you to gage if they see the relevance of Numeracy, if they think it has impacted positively on their learning, and you can determine learners' attitudes towards Numeracy. You can discuss the feedback they get, and how this helps them to learn and to improve the standard of their work.
Advantages?
Advantages?
Direct opportunity to talk with learners about their work.
Opportunity to hear learners' views about their work and their attitudes towards Numeracy.
Opportunity to discuss how the teaching has led to progression in standards.
Opportunities to discuss their own ideas and constructive feedback on their opportunities to develop their Numeracy skills.
Reviewing schemes of learning
Reviewing schemes of learning
What?
What?
When reviewing schemes of learning, a good starting point is to ask to look at an overview of each subject's curriculum for the whole year, this will allow you to map out all the opportunities across the curriculum for Numeracy development. Once you are aware of the opportunities, you will then be able to support departments with their planning, in particular ensuring planning is done with progression in mind. Gaining this overview and scrutinising schemes of learning will indicate to you what the priorities should be for inclusion in any profession learning sessions you get to run for departments.
Advantages?
Advantages?
Opportunity to develop ideas further and plan ahead rather than just review work already done.
Ensure consistency and continuity in planned learning experiences.
Ensure an appropriate level of challenge is planned for, challenging all learners across the school.
Opportunity to identify classes / departments that need further support.
Additional supporting materials
Estyn supplementary guidance for the inspection of numeracy in schools - September 2021 Questions for listening to pupils
Estyn supplementary guidance for the inspection of numeracy in schools - September 2021 Questions for listening to pupils
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