Count On

Resources:

• 
  
  • Misconceptions
  • Maths Performers
  • Adult Numeracy Core Curriculum
  • Summer Numeracy
  • It all adds up
  • Top Jobs
• 
  
  • KS3 Maths Framework
  • Numeracy Framework
  • Leading Maths Teachers
  • PR Toolkit
  • Mathematical Association Resources

• The need to promote your school
• How the media works
• How to put your school's good news in the media
• Organising an event to attract the media
• Other ways you can promote your involvement with Count On
• Photographs
• A press release
• Talking to the media in a crisis

PR Toolkit

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOKLET

This booklet has been produced to help primary, secondary schools and colleges promote their good news stories to the media. Too often the really good things that are happening in schools go completely unnoticed by the general public while education in general and schools in particular seem to be the subject of lurid, sensational and distorted headlines. This not only happens in the national press but can be a feature of local and regional press too. Whether you have had only limited dealings with journalists in the past or even none at all, this booklet will help you develop a confident approach to dealing with them and will help you to take more control of the news agenda that directly affects your school.

Its aim therefore is to help schools celebrate their achievements with children and parents, especially their mathematical achievements, to a wider public. But it also aims to help schools celebrate and give recognition to the hard work and achievements of its teachers and staff.

The booklet gives general but invaluable advice on how the media works, how best to approach it and work with it whatever your involvement with it may be. Within this it gives a wealth of practical examples, tips and advice on how to go about promoting your school in the most positive and effective way especially during the uniquely exciting Count On.

Count On

Count On aims to promote maths as accessible, relevant and enjoyable to everyone, not just children. It is the continuation project of Maths Year 2000, which finished in April 2001. Although it runs alongside and supports the Governmentâs National Numeracy Strategy, Count On is a complementary campaign that aims to involve children and teenagers in discovering the fun and excitement of maths and adults in opportunities to improve their numeracy skills. It aims to create positive attitudes and a "lets-do-can-do" culture towards everyday maths with the whole community.

There are all sorts of activities planned for the year.

• A series of regional family oriented MathFests running in major centres with hundreds of smaller satellite events based in schools, colleges, libraries, museums and galleries;
• A terrific interactive website crammed with maths games and puzzles for children, resources and ideas for teachers and parents, a virtual maths museum and Maths Magnet magazines for Key Stages 1 and 2;
• regular e-mail newsletters to share ideas and billboard news of events;
• The Basic Skills Agency is helping adults to improve numeracy skills;
• The Office of National Statistics and the Royal Statistical Society are building on last year's Children's Census;
• Fantasy Football League are running a secondary schools competition;
• High street retailers are sponsoring in-store activities, games and software;
• Walkers and News International are re-launching maths "Books for Schools";

To provide a creative focus Maths Year 2000 was divided into six bi-monthly themes which you could use again in Count On. They are:

January: Maths on Time

March: Maths takes Shape

May: Maths at Work

July: Maths in Play

September: Maths and People

November: Maths and Money

To ensure Count On is a success we need the widest possible involvement: schools, colleges, libraries, museums, galleries, parent and voluntary groups, businesses, local education authorities and the media.

This is your opportunity to get involved and make a difference.