This project is no longer recruiting. 

What is Can-Do Maths?

Can-Do Maths is a whole-class intervention and professional development programmeA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. that aims to improve the engagement and resilience of 16 – 19-year-old GCSE maths resit learners in General Further Education Colleges.

Teachers receive a professional development programmeA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. which builds their knowledge of how to improve engagement and mathematical resilience in their learners, as well as specific techniques they can use in their classrooms. Teachers also receive lesson resources to support the implementation of the intervention in their classrooms, regular online collaborative planning sessions with a peer group, and one-to-one support from an expert practitioner.

Who is leading this project?

The intervention is designed and delivered by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), the workforce development body for the Further Education and Training sector.

What will this project look like in your college?

• Teachers will receive a professional development programmeA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. alongside ongoing specialist support from a dedicated expert practitioner, to deliver a series of intervention activities in their GCSE resit classroom.

Timeline:

• Professional development sessions will start in summer 2025 with two half day sessions, followed by a further half-day session in autumn 2025.
• Teachers will then begin to implement the intervention activities with at least one of their GCSE maths resit classes, delivering four activities over seven weeks. Activities are designed to be delivered for approximately 20 minutes per week, with learners being given the opportunity to practice applying the techniques learned throughout their lessons.
• Teachers will also take part in five two-hour online collaborative planning group sessions over the autumn term, in addition to receiving a face-to-face visits and ad-hoc support from an expert practitioner.
• Between December 2025 – January 2026, teachers will join two one-hour online group sessions, as well as an individual support session to reflect on how the activities worked with their classes and how to tailor them to their needs.
• During the spring term, teachers deliver the tailored activities over a further seven weeks. They receive a further three group sessions, four individual support sessions and continuing ad hoc support from an expert practitioner.
• Colleges will need to ensure that participating teachers are given time to take part in the training and support sessions and to plan the delivery of the activities. They will be provided with a remission payment to help cover teachers’ time, equivalent to one hour per week for 36 weeks.
• College staff and learners will also complete evaluation activities. Teachers will complete a survey at the beginning and end of the intervention, and may be invited to take part in focus group discussions. College leaders will complete a survey at the end of the programme. Learners will complete a survey at the beginning and end of the intervention, and may be invited to take part in focus group discussions. Six colleges will be selected as case-studies, which will involve lesson observations and senior leader interviews by members of the evaluation team.

Who can take part?

• General Further Education Colleges must be located in England and delivering GCSE maths resits to 16 – 19-year-olds.

Teachers are eligible to participate if they:

• did not participate in the CfEM Motivation and Engagement large scale research project;
• are not participating in any other maths evaluation or trial;
• have been be nominated by a member of the college senior leadership team who agrees to support the teacher/​s to deliver the intervention as intended.

The Can-Do Maths intervention was developed as part of CfEM’s action-research project, ​‘Approaches to developing engagement and resilience’. This suggested a small but significant increase in learners’ attainment in GCSE maths resits.

The intervention was extended based on feedback from the evaluation. This pilot will help establish the feasibility, evidence of promise and readiness for trial of the updated Can-Do Maths intervention.

Can-Do Maths will be evaluated by University College London through an implementation and process evaluationAn IPE is used to understand how and why an intervention has (or has not) been successful. Data is analysed to explore programme quality, reach, adaptation and differentiation, as well as setting fidelity and responsiveness to the trial design., which will explore how colleges implement the intervention and perceptions of teachers and learners on how the activities support engagement and resilience.