Teaching and Learning, Dyscalculia

Effective learning and teaching addresses the needs of all learners whether they have specific numeracy difficulties or not. Support for all learners begins within the classroom and is provided by the classroom teachers who hold the main responsibility for nurturing, educating and meeting the needs of all learners in their class, working in partnership with support staff, to plan, deliver and review curriculum programmes.

To support this, a policy has been developed – North Ayrshire Policy on the Assessment of Dyscalculia and Specific Numeracy Needs (pdf) 1.4Mb).

North Ayrshire Educational Psychology Service have developed a series of professional learning modules in supporting numeracy needs. This is a series of five separate but interrelated modules that support the roll out of the new North Ayrshire policy and guidance on the assessment of a specific numeracy need (commonly referred to as Dyscalculia).

These modules have been developed primarily to support practitioners when working alongside children and young people with a specific numeracy need (Dyscalculia) but also to support practitioners’ expertise and confidence when working with learners who experience general maths difficulties.

There is no set way to approach the modules however it is recommended that interested practitioners engage with modules 1:1 (What is a Specific Numeracy Difficulty / Need?) and module 2:1 (The North Ayrshire Policy on the Assessment of a Specific Numeracy Need). Thereafter, individual practitioners or establishments can work through the modules according to professional learning needs.

Click here to see an overview of the modules (pdf).

The modules are available to all North Ayrshire practitioners via: NACED Inform or by making contact with the school’s link Educational psychologist.