Numeracy and maths experts from our Northern Alliance regional improvement collaborative alongside Education Scotland will be offering two half-day conferences for both Primary and Secondary teachers and practitioners in November to support what’s delivered in classrooms across the eight northernmost local authorities in Scotland.

The Northern Alliance N5 Maths Conference will take place online via GoogleMeet on Saturday 14 November from 9am to 1.15pm and follows on from last session’s successful event in Inverness. It will focus on how to improve learner outcomes in areas of the N5 that are traditionally challenging but which are vital for future success in Higher maths. Indices, Quadratics, Trigonometry and Algebra all come in for comprehensive analysis from our presenters.

Numeracy and maths expert Andy Thompson says: “Some aspects of the National 5 qualifications consistently present difficulties for learners, so this conference will enable secondary maths teachers to come together, share ideas and identify solutions which support the teaching, learning and assessment of skills. We’ll also work alongside you to help evaluate the subsequent impact on your own practice.”

Don’t delay, book your place here: https://bit.ly/2IeaKdZ

The Northern Alliance Primary Maths Conference will take place via Microsoft Teams on Saturday 21 November from 9am to 1.15pm. Following a similar format to the N5 event, this conference will feature workshops looking at everything from embedding problem solving to strategies for improving retrieval and retention. It will offer support on a range of inter-related themes from early years to Level 2, including progression in fractions, task design and problem solving. It’s a great chance to enhance your professional knowledge and work out how to better design tasks to ensure pace and challenge. Look for details on our CLPL SharePoint site: https://bit.ly/2IeaKdZ

Facilitator Andy Thompson is leading both events having been seconded from Shetland Islands Council to provide support to colleagues on a regional basis.

He added: “Last year’s Northern Alliance N5 Maths Conference was so well-received we have decided to make a similar offer available to colleagues in 2020, albeit this time online. We’re also delighted to provide a chance for Primary colleagues to engage with a conference-style event too this year. The ‘Making Maths Count’ report highlights the need to change public attitudes towards maths in Scotland. We need to improve learner fluency and confidence with maths – the economic gains over a working lifetime could be as much as £2.6 trillion1.”

In partnership with Education Scotland, we are also offering three workshops to teachers across the Northern Alliance on how to help learners build confidence, creativity and connections in maths and numeracy. The first is to be held on 03/12/2020. Further information and sign up details will be publicised shortly.