How taking part in the Can-Do-Maths pilot helped build our resit learners’ confidence 

Many GCSE resit students arrive at our college with negative prior experiences of maths. Low confidence, maths anxiety, and reluctance to engage when faced with challenge can become barriers to learning. As a 16 – 19 provider, we know that supporting students’ attitude to learning is as important as supporting their mathematical development. 

When I first heard about the Can-Do Maths pilot through the Education and Training Foundation, it immediately resonated with the challenges we see in classrooms. Its focus on resilience, motivation, positive language, and growth mindset aligned closely with our departmental priorities, as well as our aim to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable tackling challenge and learning from mistakes. 

What appealed most was the programme’s evidence-informed approach and practical strategies that could be embedded into existing lessons. We hoped it would help foster a classroom culture where students were more willing to participate, reflect on their learning, and persevere with unfamiliar problems.

What taking part looked like in practice

Participation involved embedding Can-Do Maths strategies into weekly lessons rather than treating the programme as separate from day-to-day teaching. The programme focused on developing positive attitudes towards mathematics through structured discussion, reflection, goal setting, and activities designed to normalise challenge and mistakes. We incorporated structured activities alongside core curriculum delivery.

This included:

• Engaging learners in whole-class and group discussions about attitudes to learning mathematics
• Using stimulus and sorting activities to explore learners’ beliefs about mathematical ability 
• Supporting learners to set and review KASH (Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Habits) goals
• Encouraging reflection on responses to challenge and setbacks
• Reinforcing effort, persistence, and reflective learning behaviours
• Using consistent language to normalise mistakes as part of the learning process
• Sharing approaches across the maths department to support consistency in delivery

The programme involved maths lecturers working with multiple GCSE resit classes, supporting learners with a wide range of experiences, confidence levels, and prior attainment. It involved around one to two hours per week for preparation and delivery. It initially felt time intensive while new routines were established alongside GCSE resit curriculum demands. 

Support from the delivery team, the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), was particularly helpful during this stage, with structured resources and guidance providing clarity around implementation and building staff confidence in using the strategies effectively. Over time, as students became more familiar with the activities and their purpose, the approach became easier to embed and complemented rather than competed with existing teaching.

What changed in the classroom

One of the most noticeable changes was in classroom culture and students’ approach to learning. As the programme became embedded, learners increasingly took part in discussion-based activities. They shared their thinking more readily, contributed ideas, and engaged in dialogue about learning, even when they were unsure of the correct answer. Through consistent positive language and structured reflection, teachers helped students respond more constructively to challenge and develop greater resilience when stuck. 

We also saw our learners’ attitudes towards mistakes shift too. Students appeared more willing to attempt unfamiliar questions and engage with challenge, with mistakes increasingly discussed as part of the learning process. Over time, there was less focus on simply arriving at the correct answer and more emphasis on engaging with the process of learning.

For staff, taking part prompted reflection on classroom language and the messages students receive about effort, challenge, and success. It reinforced the importance of explicitly developing confidence and resilience alongside subject knowledge. 

It also supported greater collaboration across the maths department, with shared experiences and strategies helping to develop a more consistent approach and prompting professional discussion around student mindset and evidence-informed practice.

Reflections on taking part

Looking back, one of the most surprising aspects of the programme was how quickly students responded to relatively small changes in classroom practice. Simple shifts in language, encouraging reflection, and normalising mistakes had a noticeable influence on how students engaged with lessons and perceived challenges. 

Like many settings, we initially had concerns about workload and how the programme would fit alongside existing teaching commitments. However, these concerns went away as the activities became embedded within normal classroom routines and students became more familiar with the approach. 

The professional learning opportunities were another valuable aspect of participation. The training the programme offered encouraged staff to reflect on their practice, engage with evidence-informed approaches, and consider how classroom culture can influence student engagement and confidence. It also provided a useful framework for discussing these issues across the maths team. 

For any setting considering taking part in an EEF project, I would strongly encourage getting involved. While participation does take commitment, it provides an opportunity to engage with research, reflect on practice, and contribute to a wider evidence base. Beyond the programme itself, it can support meaningful conversations about teaching, learning, and classroom culture.