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This blog post was published under the 2015-2024 Conservative Administration

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2019/05/15/the-importance-of-numeracy-as-a-life-skill/

The importance of numeracy as a life skill

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Exams and qualifications, Key Stage Two Tests, numeracy, School tests

a child's hand holding a yellow pencil

Today our blog marks National Numeracy Day, whilst we also look at an op-ed by the Education Secretary on exam season.

National Numeracy Day

Today, Wednesday 15 May is National Numeracy Day. This day aims to raise awareness of numeracy levels in the UK. To mark the day, the charity National Numeracy released research finding that 40% of people do not want to improve maths skills. The Evening Standard reported on this.

We want to change this to ensure that everyone can be comfortable with numeracy - which provides the foundations for essential life skills including financial wellbeing.

Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships, Anne Milton said:

I am a huge supporter of national numeracy day which gives people a chance to test how good they are at numbers. National Numeracy’s data shows that adults still underestimate the value of the skills that are gained if you can understand basic maths.

Numbers play a big part in our lives from shopping, managing your money, and even cooking. The government fully funds maths courses up to GCSE to enable people to get the maths skills they need. But it’s never too later to improve your skills. Take the test and see how you do!

Exam Stress

Today, the Yorkshire Post published an op-ed by the Education Secretary Damian Hinds.

In the piece, he writes about how exams provide young people with essential preparation for later life, as well as noting the work being done by teachers in the Bradford Opportunity Area in providing extra tuition to groups of year 11 students who are struggling with English and maths.

You can read the full piece here.

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