Adult numeracy & literacy - Skilling up

The literacy and numeracy levels of childcare practitioners have been hot topics for years. They have come to the fore again since the refocusing on qualifications and the Government's decision to make grade C English and maths an entry requirement for work-based EYE applicants.

Behind the debate over which qualifications to choose is the knowledge that qualification level of staff is clearly linked to children's development of crucial skills.

As Cathy Nutbrown stated in her landmark 2012 report, Foundations For Quality, 'better qualified teams ... offered a higher quality support for ... children developing communication, language and literacy skills and their reasoning, thinking and mathematical skills.'

The extent of the problem

There is little quantitative research into levels of staff numeracy and literacy in the early years. The National Day Nurseries Association recognises the need for nurseries to upskill staff, however, creating a maths and English 'champions' programme. These are graduate early years professionals using online training and resources to train staff.

Anecdotal evidence and small-scale surveys indicate low levels of confidence in maths from nursery staff. Kingston University senior lecturer in psychology Jo Van Herwegen carried out a survey on numeracy at seven nurseries. She says many of the 76 staff members told researchers they were 'no good at maths'.

Staff were asked to indicate whether they played maths games with children. She found that 28 per cent of staff did not, or played games unlikely to boost maths skills, despite most of these having Level 3 qualifications. Moreover, 13 per cent of the staff who did play number games daily did not understand what number games were, giving examples such as reading books or playing with playdough. She also found that none of the six staff who had only one GCSE as their qualification played number games with children.

'Maths games are an important way of teaching numeracy, and at least 15 per cent of children are at risk of developmental maths difficulties, which are likely to remain in their adult life unless addressed when they are young,' she explains.

In terms of literacy, recent data from a major nursery employer with an above average level of good and outstanding provision showed that of a dozen Level 3 practitioners starting a course to refresh their literacy skills, most were judged not to be at Level 1 in English. By the end of the course, some of the volunteers are expected to be working towards completing entry level, two are predicted for a Level 1 and just one is predicted to be able to take a Level 2 qualification.

According to Velda Bartholomew, author of Strong Foundations: supporting the literacy and numeracy development of adults who work with children, 'some settings have highly qualified staff, but an average setting might have someone with English as a second language, a specific learning difficulty or someone who didn't complete school'.

The effect on children

Dr Van Herwegen says, 'If you have poor levels of literacy and numeracy, there is a lot of evidence that people have anxiety that relates to them avoiding the subject altogether. If you don't really understand the basic concepts - shapes, numbers, lines - then imaginatively coming up with ideas for play and giving age appropriate answers is going to be hard for you.

'Literacy is similar; if you don't comprehend that one sound can have more than one letter attached to it, or you don't have a big enough vocabulary, it's going to be difficult to help children doing well do better, or help those who are struggling.

'You have to not only understand these concepts but developmental steps, so you know what should be taught first. I think targeted training by a child psychologist, who can inform staff about how number abilities develop in children, will be the most productive way of achieving this.'

Dr Van Herwegen's research into maths has extended to devising a set of number games for pre-school children known as PLUS, to help them to learn maths skills. 'The exercise showed that training staff in simple maths games made a huge difference to children's ability with numbers,' she says. 'The games raised staff confidence and reduced their "maths anxiety'."

What can managers do?

According to Ms Bartholomew, 'A potentially difficult conversation will need to take place between manager and staff. An informal discussion about the opportunities available to improve their literacy or numeracy skills is a good way forward.'

One way to do this is to hold in-house sessions for possible difficulties parents have with literacy. She says, 'Staff were coming to me during training sessions for parents and saying "I think I could do with a bit of help". When we made an environment where we were talking about the fact that others might have literacy needs, people felt it was OK to ask about their own.'

Case study

A 44-year-old who wished to remain anonymous had been working in a setting for 11 years after leaving school at 16 with no formal qualifications.
In 2011 she took a Level 3 Diploma in Pre-School Practice but took all the assignments verbally - with a member of staff translating her speech into written answers.
Managers would help her write things up or write things up for her and felt she wasn't going to meet new Ofsted requirements on observations.
The nursery bought her a laptop with a speech recognition programme and a Dictaphone which translates recorded speech onto a computer when connected.
In the long term, the level 3 practitioner has been told she must also work to improve her English skills, will also begin an English course on a day release basis, from September.
Having previously avoided reading to the children completely, she is now taking a book home each week to revise before reading it aloud. She has also been banned from avoiding texting with phone calls.
Karen White, development manager at the Pre School Learning Alliance, said: 'She is very confident in practical sessions and children adore her. It just this side of things that she struggles with. We have provided an awful lot of support, but if by the end of it we have a member of staff who feels she is dedicated to us and has more confidence then it will be worth it.'

TOP TIPS TO IMPROVE MATHS AND LITERACY - ABRIDGED FROM 'STRONG FOUNDATIONS'

Literacy

- Display common abbreviations on the wall with definitions (for example SALT, EYFS on wall).

- Give out pocket-sized dictionary/vocabulary/grammar books, including bilingual ones where appropriate, which can be kept discreetly in bags and pockets.

- Lay out meeting agendas clearly, and give them out in advance with key vocabulary explained. Discuss tricky vocabulary in context during the meeting. Ask any second language learners to give the word/meaning in their own language as this will aid their memory.

- Allow opportunities for discussion of policies. Ask questions to check staff's knowledge of how this affects day-to-day practice.

- Hold a friendly spelling bee to correct commonly misspelt words.

Numeracy

- Create a numeracy vocab list for display.

- Allow staff to work with you when dealing with finance/budgeting issues to introduce them to using numeracy in a practical situation.

- Encourage staff to check answers independently and then ask a colleague to review. This creates an atmosphere where mistakes are found and tolerated.

- Create specimen copies of documents where numeracy skills are required, for example, orders for supplies, or spreadsheets with fees on. Seeing a finished example will help staff see how it all comes together.

- Create regular opportunities to talk with staff about their own experiences at school in maths, which may have laid the foundation for anxiety.

- Managers can also display a list of courses in the local area offering adult education, and encourage all staff in need to take them.

- Never put a staff member who is struggling with these issues on the spot. Address issues in private to avoid embarrassment.

Kingston University is running early years training days at its Child Development and Learning Difficulties unit from September. Contact j.vanherwegen@kingston.ac.uk. Strong Foundations can be bought from the Pre-School Learning Alliance.