On Wednesday 20 May, Prior’s Court celebrated National Numeracy Day with a focus on this year’s theme, ‘Count on your Community’. The day centred on empowering the autistic young people with complex needs we support to experience numbers in ways that felt relevant, practical and accessible throughout their daily routines.

Across education and residential settings, teams worked to build opportunities for numeracy into familiar activities. The aim was not to teach numeracy in isolation, but to support understanding of number as part of everyday life.

School sessions

The Piper Arts Centre was used as a central space for the morning, bringing together a range of interactive, numeracy-based activities linked to Creative Arts and Digital learning. The lights of the centre were turned down to create a more sensory-friendly environment with the activities laid out across the room for young people to explore at their own pace and choosing.

For example, young people explored shapes within a sensory glow cube, offering a visual and tactile way to engage with mathematical concepts. Tough trays were set up for number matching, providing structured but flexible opportunities to practise recognition and sequencing.

Physical activity was also included. Bean bags marked with numbers were thrown towards cones labelled with corresponding numbers, supporting coordination while reinforcing number awareness, and numbered circles were on the floor to encourage jumping from circle to circle to count to ten.

The relationship between numbers and music was also explored - such as striking a drum the same number of times as a number that had been said or presented.

Each activity was supported by symbols to clearly communicate expectations and help young people engage with confidence.

Outside the entrance to the centre, hopscotch was chalked onto the ground, creating another opportunity to explore number through movement and play.

Numeracy was also built into sessions in the afternoon, with a "round robin" session in Lower School and Post-16's assembly focusing on numbers.

Read more on our approach to learning blog

Extending numeracy into daily life

Alongside the activities in the Piper Arts Centre, teams were encouraged to continue exploring numbers within home settings. These experiences reflected how numeracy can be embedded into everyday routines.

Examples included:

• messy play activities incorporating counting and number recognition;
• baking sessions, with young people measuring ingredients and following simple quantities;
• visits into the community, such as shops or restaurants, where money and payment methods could be explored;
• walks outdoors, noticing shapes and patterns in the environment;
• playing board games that involve counting, turn-taking or scoring;
• using digital tools and apps designed to support number skills;
• decorating house windows to reflect the Numeracy Day theme.

Building confidence with numbers

National Numeracy Day provided a shared focus across Prior’s Court. By embedding number into meaningful activities, autistic young people with complex needs at Prior's Court were supported to continue to develop familiarity and confidence at a pace that suited them.

Numeracy is not limited to the classroom. It is part of daily life, and when introduced in the right way, it can be understood and used in ways that are meaningful for each young person.

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