New Schools & Families Programme to launch
The groundbreaking Schools & Families Programme, launching September 2024, aims to address the numeracy crisis affecting nearly half of UK adults, with significant consequences on employment, wages, debt, and health.
Around half of adults across the country struggle with numeracy, severely impacting disadvantaged communities where anxieties about numbers are often passed down through generations. Key statistics underscore the severity of this issue:
- 35% of adults experience maths anxiety (One Poll, 2023).
- Over a quarter of adults leave school without a Maths GCSE (NCETM, 2023).
- Over a third of adults say they would avoid a job requiring numeracy skills (One Poll, 2023).
Research shows that a child’s attitude towards maths is heavily influenced by the adults around them. However, many parents, carers, and primary school staff lack confidence in their numeracy skills, perpetuating a negative cycle. Alarmingly:
- 59% of parents find maths the toughest subject to teach their children (National Numeracy, 2021).
- 27% of children are below target levels in maths at the end of primary school (Department for Education, 2024).
- 54% of girls and 43% of boys lack confidence in learning maths (Teach First, 2024).
- Of the 11,000 trainee teachers using National Numeracy's skills and confidence building tool, 43% lack confidence or skills in maths (National Numeracy, 2023).
New research by National Numeracy reveals that nearly a quarter of UK parents and carers (23%) feel anxious when helping with their child’s maths homework, with 1 in 5 (20%) admitting it leads to arguments. This anxiety is more pronounced among women, with 26% of women feeling anxious compared to 20% of men, and 34% of women admitting they’ve told their child that they themselves are bad at maths.
Schools & Families Programme details
The Schools & Families Programme aims to break this intergenerational cycle by boosting numeracy confidence among adults and children alike. The programme’s goals include:
- Increasing pupils’ confidence with numbers, positive feelings about maths, and awareness of its value outside the classroom.
- Enhancing parents’, carers’, and school staff’s confidence in supporting children with maths.
- Establishing lasting approaches and strategies that will continue in schools beyond the end of the programme.
National Numeracy is recruiting primary schools across the UK to participate in this fully-funded programme from January 2025. With over 50 places available, schools are encouraged to apply by Friday, 4th October 2024. Interested schools can apply by clicking the button below or contact schoolsandfamilies@nationalnumeracy.org.uk with any questions.
Webinar
A webinar with more detailed information about the programme will be hosted on Wednesday, 18th September at 12:00pm. Those interested in attending can register here.
What will schools receive?
Each participating school will receive a comprehensive support package from January to December 2025, including:
- Numeracy Champions training for up to three members of staff.
- Family Maths Toolkit scrapbooks and activities for all pupils.
- Parental Engagement webinar and related resources.
- Materials to deliver ‘Help Your Child Love Maths!’ workshop to parents/carers.
- Access to the National Numeracy Challenge for all staff and parents.
- Termly online forums to share successes and challenges with National Numeracy and other schools.
- Participation in National Numeracy’s main campaigns: National Numeracy Day and Number Confidence Week.
- Access to an online resource hub.
- Ongoing support from National Numeracy throughout and beyond the programme.
- Termly expert-led webinars on various subjects.
- Opportunities for a Corporate Volunteer to visit and lead assemblies or classroom activities about the value of numeracy in adult working life.
- An impact report summarising engagement and impact at the end of the programme.
What is required of schools?
- 1-3 members of staff to attend Numeracy Champions training in November/December 2024 (2 x 2.5 hours).
- Project lead to attend online termly forums (1 hour each).
- Deliver at least one ‘Help Your Child Love Maths!’ workshop to parents/carers.
- Use the Family Maths Toolkit scrapbooks and activities with participating pupils.
- Project lead to complete termly and end-of-year surveys to collect activity and impact data.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to primary schools across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Schools from all regions are encouraged to apply, with particular focus on applications from Greater Manchester, East Midlands, the North West, Tower Hamlets, and Hackney.
Applications will be ranked based on free school meal percentage/SIMD Q1-3/PDG. Schools not initially selected will join a waiting list for future programmes.
For any questions about the Schools & Families Programme, please email schoolsandfamilies@nationalnumeracy.org.uk.
