Supporting numeracy and educational outcomes for children and young people with care experience

For our first Education Forum of 2026, we are delighted to welcome Professor Rose Griffiths, a former mathematics teacher, foster carer and adoptive parent, and current researcher specialising in interventions for learners with care experience.

Professor Griffiths, Professor of Education at the University of Leicester, brings together lived experience and research insights to explore why some children and young people with care experience may find mathematics challenging and how this can have a significant impact on their educational outcomes and life chances. 

During the session attendees will gain insight into:

• Professor Griffiths’ case study research with children with care experience who were identified as having challenges in mathematics, including insights drawn from work with primary aged learners;
• Key factors affecting numeracy outcomes for learners with care experience, including instability in living arrangements, periods of time spent out of school, and gaps in foundational and sequential mathematical understanding;
• The skills, confidence and understanding required by teachers, carers and other adults to effectively support children with care experience with mathematics, particularly where learning gaps are significant;

and

• The importance of careful assessment, high quality teaching, and dedicated time with trusted adults to help children build confidence, develop a belief in their own ability to make progress, and re-engage positively with learning.

Attendees will also hear about Letterbox, the postal club founded by Professor Griffiths, and how access to books and number games can support children and young people with care experience in learning, confidence and sense of belonging.

The session will offer insight and reflection for those working with children with care experience across education and care settings. As always, there will be time for questions and discussion, along with the opportunity to follow up on key themes raised during the presentation.

Who should attend? 
The Education Forum online event is open to everyone who works with children and young people in an educational setting.

About the CELCIS Education Forum 
At CELCIS, we are privileged to convene and coordinate a free, open-access network of practitioners and leaders who are involved or interested in the education of children with experience of care, and their families. We encourage and facilitate opportunities for practitioners to come together in a reflective, challenging and enabling space.  To find out more and view resources from past Forum events, visit our web page.