St David’s at the forefront of dyscalculia support

At St David’s, we are proud to be ahead of the curve, already putting in place as standard the kind of specialist support that national leaders are calling for.

We believe that every child can thrive in mathematics with the right teaching and encouragement, and the time and space to flourish.

We are proud to be recognised as a leading school in supporting students with dyscalculia, a specific learning difficulty that affects the ability of people to understand and work with numbers.

Around 6% of the population have dyscalculia, while research shows that over 60% of students with dyslexia have co-occurring dyscalculia

We are fortunate to have three University of Chester trained dyscalculia specialist teachers on our staff, each bringing their own unique strengths and expertise to our students. Further staff are currently training for their dyscalculia qualifications.

• Mrs Jillian Dolder, our Head of Mathematics, leads the team with a clear vision for inclusive and supportive mathematics education. She has both a Masters degree in dyscalculia and is a qualified assessor of dyscalculia. Her leadership ensures that our maths curriculum is responsive to all learners’ needs. Mrs Dolder teaches students between Year 7 and Year 13 and is passionate about ensuring every student achieves their full potential and continually raising standards of teaching and learning in line with national research and best practice.

• Mrs Caroline Parry, maths and economics teacher, offers invaluable support through small group and individual sessions. Her holistic understanding of both curriculum content, academic goals and student wellbeing makes her a key pillar of our support network. Mrs Parry teaches students between Year 7 and Year 13 and delivers specialist Maths 1:1 sessions.

• Miss Crowther, a primary-trained maths teacher with a maths specialism,  works one-to-one with students in Year 5 to Year 11 within the Cadogan department. She is particularly passionate about helping pupils who experience maths anxiety or who have fallen behind due to the fast-paced, cyclical nature of the national maths curriculum. Her gentle, confidence-building approach helps students re-engage with maths and grow a positive mindset around numbers.

Together, this team ensures that all our learners - especially those with additional needs in Maths - receive thoughtful, personalised, holistic support.  Our aim is to help every student build confidence, resilience, and a genuine belief in their ability to succeed through a bespoke curriculum that encompasses concrete, pictorial and visual resources to engage the learner.  We have a range of tailored and flexible pathways to nationally recognised maths qualifications from Functional Skills Level 1 maths to Additional, Further and A-Level Mathematics.