Is more statistics good for everyone? Cardiff Q-Step FE/Schools Initiative

There has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the FE/School engagement work, linked to developing and promoting context rich statistical courses, across England and Wales. These courses, primarily aimed at year 12 and 13 students, are focussed on the development of a new subject area called social analytics (the scientific investigation of social processes using statistical techniques and analysis). Individuals attending this sessions will gain practical insights into the innovative partnerships developed between universities, exam boards and schools/ FE colleges. An exemplification of the collaborative benefits will also be explored. The session will also focus on the pedagogical basis of the qualifications being created, the interdisciplinary nature and skills centred approach that has been adopted, and the educational impacts in terms of student attainment and achievement in other subject areas. The case will be made that developing students critical thinking and conceptual understanding of statistics, can have positive impacts on many other subject areas. These positive impacts include attitudes towards mathematics and statistics, as well as educational achievement.