Burnie Counts is making a difference in students' lives

Burnie Counts, a program that brought together a cluster of Burnie-based schools to increase numeracy levels in students, is having a significant and positive effect on maths results.

Burnie Counts is a multiyear, multilayered, numeracy outcomes and community engagement project funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund and supported by Australian Schools Plus and the Burnie City Council.

The program has an emphasis on providing professional learning for staff on key numeracy focus areas, building the capacity of families to engage in meaningful learning with their children, lifting numeracy outcomes across the collective and developing a model that can be applied in other schools and educational settings.

NAPLAN results show that Burnie High School’s numeracy results have surpassed the state average, with 89 per cent of students achieving medium to high growth, compared to the rest of Tasmania which has a rating of 75 per cent.

Burnie High School has also seen an increase in students achieving the “strong” category in numeracy, with 64 per cent achieving this score, compared to the Tasmanian average of 54 per cent.

Recent feedback has shown that the work Burnie Counts has done has had a dramatic change in the student’s attitudes and perceptions towards mathematics, and the NAPLAN results from Burnie High School show that this has had not only a positive impact on students' attitudes, but also their grades.

By making maths accessible, relevant, and connected to real-world contexts, Burnie Counts has helped the schools shift students' perceptions, helping them see maths not just as a subject but as a valuable tool in their everyday lives.

This change in perception has been a critical factor in fostering a more enthusiastic and committed approach to their learning overall.

Burnie Counts has helped the students build a strong foundation in maths, fostering a positive attitude towards learning. This attitude has helped student transition to high school and will continue to help them thrive in education.

Breaking down barriers to education is the strategic direction of the Tasmanian Community Fund, and we are proud to see that a project we have funded is helping children connect and engage with learning with such positive results.

The Tasmanian Community Fund is committed to continuing to break down barriers and build futures for young Tasmanians so they can better connect with and access education and work opportunities.