Eighteen adult learners in East Dunbartonshire are counting down the days until they sit their National 5 Applications of Maths examinations in May.
The students, who range from school leavers to retirees, have been working towards their Nat 5 Applications of Maths qualification through the Council’s Count Me In programme.
The free course is being delivered by experienced teachers in small classes in local settings and is designed to be accessible for those who may be unable to attend traditional further educational settings due to financial, health or caring constraints. Classes are held on both evenings and afternoons at Hillhead and Auchinairn Community Centres.
Count Me In was fully funded with more than £100,000 from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Convener of Education, Councillor Lynda Williamson, said, “The Nat 3 and Nat 4 Applications of Maths courses delivered by the Count Me In team were so well received, and as many of the students sought to continue their learning, it was decided to run a Nat 5 course in the lead up to the May 2026 SQA examinations. It is the first time a National 5 qualification has been delivered free of charge in small, informal, face-to-face sessions to adult learners in East Dunbartonshire. All eighteen students successfully passed their prelims in January and are working hard towards their final examinations in May.”
The National 3, 4 and 5 Applications of Maths courses are just a few of the many that have been delivered through the Count Me In programme since it was launched in East Dunbartonshire in August 2023.
Focussed on developing and promoting numeracy and learning opportunities for local adults, the courses have been delivered by experienced teachers, and include:
- Count Me in for Cooking
- Count me in for Sewing
- Count me in for Family Games
- Count me in for Mastering Money
- Count me in for Numeracy Skills.
Councillor Williamson, continued, “Since August 2023 the Count Me In team has made learning accessible to local residents by providing classes throughout the day and in the evenings, in schools, community centres and within local businesses. To date, just over 500 residents and people working in the area have enrolled. The free and informal classes have not only been designed to build students’ numeracy and maths skills, but also to improve confidence and employability and Count Me In has been the launch pad for some learners to go on to access further education.”
Local mum, Lisa, attended the Count Me In Family Numeracy Workshops at Twechar EYC to improve her numeracy skills so she could support her child’s learning at home. She then attended an adults Count Me In for Sewing class, a project run in collaboration with Stitch the Gap CIC in Kirkintilloch.
These experiences boosted her confidence and led her to apply to East Dunbartonshire’s Parental Employment programme where she continued to add to her numeracy skills with support from Count Me In staff. Lisa was then successful in gaining permanent employment as a Support for Learning Assistant.
She said, “I had the pleasure of meeting the Count Me In team not once, but twice. The first time was during my child’s time at nursery. They came in weekly to help parents with young kids understand and help them more at home with maths skills through play and also learning life skills. We both enjoyed it each week and the resources we took away were so useful. My child now loves maths to this day and is thriving academically at primary school.
“The second time I got to attend sewing classes. It was a very welcome break for me as I was able to do this myself with the team this time. Every single member from CMI and Stitch The Gap were incredible. So patient and fun, and I met some great people. What I learned there far surpassed what I expected to gain from it.
The classes helped me with budgeting and maths anxiety and were just a great experience. The team made it so fun and gave me so much to take away and use.
I'm now in a job I love using the skills I learned to help pupils at work and my own child at home. I'm very grateful. Thanks so much for the opportunities.”
Councillor Williamson added, “It is wonderful to hear about the positive impact the Count Me In project has made to the lives of local people and how it has inspired so many learners to go onto further study. I’m very much looking forward to hearing how the Nat 5 students get on when they receive their results in the summer and I wish them the very best of luck!”
