As part of the National Literacy Strategy your school will have considered ways of promoting higher standards of literacy. The action that you have already taken will help you when you come to consider ways of promoting pupils' numeracy skills, since many of the same factors will apply.

Where school management is concerned, better numeracy standards occur when:

the headteacher is well-informed, provides active leadership and sets high expectations for what can be achieved by staff and pupils;
a co-ordinator for mathematics has the expertise, opportunity and support needed to influence practice;
a desire to secure high standards through effective teaching and learning pervades the whole school;
there are clear, realistic targets for raising standards, and a manageable plan for achieving them, with regular evaluation of the school's progress towards the targets - including effective arrangements, which take account of national standards, for assessing the progress of whole year groups and each class;
there is systematic monitoring and self-review, under the headteacher's direction, of teachers' planning, teaching and assessment;
there is a whole-school approach to the professional development of teachers and other staff involved in the teaching of mathematics, with emphasis on developing knowledge of the primary mathematics curriculum and appropriate teaching methods;
classroom assistants take part in planning and are used effectively to support teachers in mathematics lessons;
parents are kept well-informed and encouraged to be involved through discussions at school and sometimes in work with pupils at home; and
governors are involved actively in policy, monitoring and evaluation.

Taking the curriculum and assessment in the school as a whole, better numeracy standards occur when:

staff share a common understanding of numeracy and how best to promote it;
there is a daily, dedicated mathematics lesson in every class, with lesson time extended through out-of-class activities and regular homework;
the teaching programme is based on identified learning objectives, and is planned thoroughly, to ensure high expectations, consistent approaches and good progression throughout the school;
the foundations of mental calculation and recall of number facts are established thoroughly before standard written methods are introduced;
assessments are used to identify pupils' strengths and difficulties, to set group and individual targets for them to achieve and to plan the next stage of work;
assessments include informal observations and oral questioning, regular mental tests, and half-termly planned activities designed to judge progress; and
recording systems give teachers the information that they need to plan and report successfully, but are not too time-consuming to maintain.

Where teaching is concerned, better numeracy standards occur when teachers:

structure their mathematics lessons and maintain a good pace;
provide daily oral and mental work to develop and secure pupils' calculation strategies and rapid recall skills;
devote a high proportion of lesson time to direct teaching of whole classes and groups, making judicious use of textbooks, worksheets and ICT resources to support teaching, not to replace it;
demonstrate, explain and illustrate mathematical ideas, making links between different topics in mathematics and between mathematics and other subjects;
use and give pupils access to number lines and other resources, including ICT, to model mathematical ideas and methods;
use and expect pupils to use correct mathematical vocabulary and notation;
question pupils effectively, including as many of them as possible, giving them time to think before answering, targeting individuals to take account of their attainment and needs, asking them to demonstrate and explain their methods and reasoning, and exploring reasons for any wrong answers;
involve pupils and maintain their interest through appropriately demanding work, including some non-routine problems that require them to think for themselves;
ensure that differentiation is manageable and centred around work common to all the pupils in a class, with targeted, positive support to help those who have difficulties with mathematics to keep up with their peers.