April 2023
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This conference looked at the future for literacy and numeracy education in England, from the early years through to Key Stage 3.
With the Secretary of State recently reaffirming the Government’s commitment to implementing the aims of the 2022 Schools White Paper which do not require legislation, policymakers and stakeholders discussed the target for 90% of primary school children to achieve expected standards in reading, writing and maths by 2030, and what will be needed for it to be met.
The discussion also came as:
- the Prime Minister sets an ambition for every young person in England to study maths until the age of 18
- the DfE continues its rollout of education catch-up programmes following the pandemic - including Maths and English Hubs, the Nuffield Early Language Intervention for pupils in reception, and the Early Years Education Recovery Programme
Delegates assessed current standards in numeracy and literacy, and whether existing support packages are sufficient, or if further measures are required to aid education providers in moving toward the Government’s 2030 attainment goals.
Further sessions discussed best practice for embedding early intervention strategies in the classroom, and opportunities to streamline current progression routes and improve support for children transitioning through the key stages.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive, National Literacy Trust; Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive, Education Endowment Foundation; and Dr Ems Lord, Director, NRICH; and Research Fellow, University of Cambridge.
Sessions in the agenda focused on:
- literacy and numeracy education in England: progress - priorities - long-term teaching and learning goals
- early years provision: standards - balancing literacy and numeracy targets with broader child development goals - opportunities for professional development and training for staff
- the primary curriculum: system capacity for catch-up programmes - impact on students and teaching staff - evaluating effective teaching methods - supporting transitions to KS3
- KS3: instilling quality and standards into teaching, learning and the curriculum - implementing extra-curricular support - preparing children for progression to GCSE
- tackling inequalities: implementing evidence-based approaches - closing the attainment gap
- additional support: the impact of Maths and English Hubs so far - support package implementation - improving home learning resources for parents and carers
- policy: priorities for literacy and numeracy education - progressing towards 2030 targets
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the Department for the Economy, NI; DfE; Department of Education, NI; DWP; the GLD; NAO; Ofsted; and the Welsh Government.
