However you feel about maths, we’ve got something for you!
- Stars include Rachel Riley, Katya Jones and Bobby Seagull
- £6,000 worth of prizes up for grabs in our Number Heroes competition for kids
- Join the UK’s first ever livestreamed Number Fun quiz with celebrities and footballers
- Join The Big Number Natter, the UK’s only nationwide conversation about numbers
- Free resources for children and adults
- Much more to be announced over the coming weeks
- Sign up to get involved here
- Watch last year’s highlights on YouTube here
The day inspires adults and children to take positive action on numeracy by opening up about their feelings towards numbers and thinking differently about the numbers we all need in everyday life – at work, home and school.
We aim to make maths less scary, and challenge the stereotypes and ‘bad at maths boast’ culture we Brits have.
Bobby Seagull to quiz the nation’s kids on National Numeracy Day
Why does maths need a makeover? Here’s what Bobby Seagull, the nation’s favourite maths teacher and TV celebrity says: “When people say they ‘can’t do maths’ or they’re not a ‘maths person’, I think that’s wrong. I think it’s just that they’ve had negative experiences at school or in their life that’s made them think they can’t do it.
“By trying more maths in daily life you can learn to feel more confident with it, so I think it’s a skill we can all learn. There’s such excitement in the run-up to National Numeracy Day, it’s such a great event to be involved with.”
Celebrity Hunted stars lead National Numeracy Day fun
National Numeracy Day 2023 will see our biggest ever programme for schools and children.
Bobby will be staging the UK’s first interactive number fun quiz for kids on 17 May, livestreamed from a school with fellow National Numeracy Ambassador and Celebrity Hunted star Katya Jones. They will be joined by some very special guests including West Ham United football stars!
Children across the UK can also take part in Bobby’s Number Hero competition. There will be £6,000 worth of prize bundles available for your nursery, school, or community/youth group to win!
Meanwhile Strictly star Katya will be teaming up with a dream dance partner – CBeebies’ Numberblocks! Together they will get children across the nation moving and motivated about maths!
For schools and organisations signing up to get involved, there are free digital toolkits bursting with assets and guides to putting on a fantastic National Numeracy Day in classrooms or communities.
Rachel Riley’s top number confidence tips
National Numeracy Ambassador Rachel Riley will be giving her top tips to help children feel more confident about maths.
Rachel and fellow Ambassadors Katya and finance journalist Iona Bain, will talk about how important it is for women and girls to feel confident with numbers.
Speaking on the Maths Appeal podcast recently, Rachel said: “At school, I was really lucky, no one ever put the idea into my head that girls weren’t as good as boys at maths... We need to change a lot of the messaging, change a lot of the PR, the advertising around maths. We need to just say there is no such thing as a maths brain!”
Rachel reckons it’s time to switch up the way we talk and think about maths, and we agree!
The Big Number Natter
The Big Number Natter will once again see celebrities, influencers, experts and The Great British Public share their stories about maths. Whether it’s good, bad or simply hilarious, everyone has a tale or two to tell about their day-to-day experiences with numbers.
Last year famous faces from the worlds of entertainment, media, business, politics and academia posted Big Number Natter videos on their social media channels. The public shared their number stories on radio phone-ins across the UK.
Free numeracy resources from celebrities and experts
There will be a raft of other helpful, free resources from our celebrities and experts. Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis, finance expert Timi Merriman-Johnson, Bake Off winner Peter Sawkins and poet and rapper Harry Baker are among the National Numeracy Ambassadors helping boost the nation’s number confidence this May.
Our website will offer a host of free, fun and helpful activities, events and resources for adults and children to get involved – with tip sheets to download and videos to watch, as well as quick and easy ways to get started on improving numeracy via the National Numeracy Challenge.
Why is maths important?
Why have a day dedicated to everyday maths? Because...
- The UK’s numeracy levels are significantly below the average for developed countries.
- 49% of the UK’s working-age population having the expected numeracy levels of a primary school child.
- Millions of children leave school lacking number confidence. 30% of school-leavers (18-24s) feel anxious about using maths and numbers. They are the most maths-anxious adult group in the UK.
- Poor numeracy costs the UK economy £25 billion a year.
- Struggling with numbers can make people more vulnerable to debt, unemployment, poor health and fraud – all of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis and now, the cost-of-living crisis.
Pioneering supporters of National Numeracy Day
National Numeracy Day is brought to you by independent charity National Numeracy, the campaign's Founding Supporter since 2018 KPMG, and a group of pioneering organisations who are dedicated to improving the nation’s numeracy confidence and skills.
These include Lead Supporters TP ICAP, The Lord Mayor's Appeal, Vanquis Banking Group, Capital One and Experian and Lead Delivery Partners including Education Scotland, the Department for Education, Numberblocks and Maths Circle. The generous support of our partners means all National Numeracy Day's resources and activities are entirely free for everyone to use.
Sam Sims, Chief Executive of National Numeracy said: “National Numeracy Day 2023 is set to be the biggest, most inspiring campaign we have ever held. With support from our incredible partners, we are looking forward to building on the breakthrough success of last year’s campaign, helping even more people across the UK to get on with numbers so they can get on in life. With activities and resources for both children and adults, there’s something to inspire everyone to start the journey towards improving crucial number confidence and skills."
“A huge 49% of the UK’s working-age population has the expected numeracy levels of a primary school child. That’s why National Numeracy is so important and why getting involved can help people up and down the country.”
